


Kol Mikaelson and The Unexpected

by IrisMikaelson



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chapters get longer later, F/M, Gen, M/M, Of my own creation, POV Changes later, Plot Twists, Sirens, Violence, not the show version of Sirens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-08-23 01:09:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 43,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16608968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisMikaelson/pseuds/IrisMikaelson
Summary: A desperate mother makes a deal with a playful, arrogant, murderous Original. A 5 year old Melissa meets him as a result. Nothing good can come of this.SAME AUTHOR AS ON FANFICTION!





	1. Chapter 1

I woke up with a gasp and pushed my butterfly covers off. My heart was racing from my nightmare. I rubbed my eyes with one hand, the other ran through my long ruby curls. I wanted hot chocolate. That always helps with nightmares. I know how to make it too, Nana taught me.

That decided, I hop out of bed and head to the door. I'll have to be quiet though, I don't wanna wake up Mommy. I tiptoe down the hallway. When I get close to the living room doorway - you had to walk through the living room to get to the kitchen - I hear people talking.

"Do you hear that?" I hear a man say. There was a pause. Then I heard him speak again. "That's the sound of nobody caring."

"Please." Mommy said back. "Don't do this."

Don't do what? I wondered. Who was that man with her? He talked funny. Why does he say words like that? I've never heard anybody talk like that before. I decided I liked it. It sounded pretty. I wish I talked like he did. I lean closer, wanting to know what he was going say to Mommy.

"Honestly Melinda." I put my hand over my mouth to muffle my giggle. He said my Mommy's name wrong, he added an r at the end.  _Melinder_. I smothered another giggle. " _You_  are the one who made this deal, darling. I held up my end and now it's your turn to hold up yours. If you don't, I am going to get angry, and I promise you won't like it."

"B-But Mr. Mikaelson," I heard Mommy again, "why do you even want her? Surely there is something else,  _anything else_ , I can give you."

"Nope." The man's voice wasn't soft and silky anymore. Now it was hard as stone. "You should have thought about that beforehand then, shouldn't you? I'll give until 3:00 tomorrow. If you don't hand her over, I will take her by force."

"I was desperate!" Mommy cried out. "I didn't even mean to say yes to your choice of payment! It just... just... came out! I owed so much money. I couldn't pay my bills! We both were starving! I was going to have to live on the  _street_! Please, please don't do this."

"Sad story." He was soft and teasing again. "But I am afraid a deal is a deal."

"How long will you keep her?"

"However long I want, sweetheart. I will bring her back and then take her again whenever it tickles my fancy." He sounded happy but Mommy didn't.

Take who? Why? Where? Why did Mommy make the deal if she didn't even like the man? She could have done something else right?

I heard Mommy sigh sadly.

"Fantastic, see you tomorrow." After that I hear him leave, whistling as he went.

When footsteps come toward me I run to my room, closing the door behind me. I keep running; across my room and onto the bed. I get under the covers quickly, my quest for hot chocolate forgotten, so was my nightmare. I thought about what I heard. Wondered what the man looked like, how he met Mommy, and what was gonna happen tomorrow at three. Those questions and more fill my head as I very slowly went back to sleep.

I felt someone shaking my shoulder. My head was foggy with sleep.  _Ugh, I don't wanna wake up. Go away._  I moved away from the hand.

"Missy Bug," Mommy's voice said through the fog, "wakey, wakey"

"No."

"Yes. I made breakfast for you." Mommy shook my shoulder softly again.

"Chocolate chip pancakes?" I asked groggily

"Yeppers. You'll wake up for that won't you?"

"I guess." I open my eyes slowly.

The first thing I saw was Mommy, her light golden brown hair in a messy bun. Her light purple eyes - just like mine - looking at me. The second thing I saw was my dark blue ceiling. The glow-in-the-dark stars on it were all different sizes.

"How did you sleep?" Mommy asked. She was sitting on the edge of my bed. My thoughts immediately went to the man last night.

"Good. My dream was about swimming. I was swimming with fishes and dolphins." I made it up on the spot.

"That's lovely, Missy. I am glad you slept well." As she spoke she put an arm under me and pushed me up, so I was sitting like she was.

"Will you brush my hair and put my hair in a braid?" I ask.

I loved it when Mommy brushed my hair.

"I sure will. Go get the detangle spray, the brush, and whatever bow you want."

I got out of bed and went into the bathroom connected to my room. I opened the doors under the sink and grabbed the brush, the detangle spray, and a two black sparkly bows. When I walk back into my room, I sit on the little stool in front of my princess desk. It had a big mirror on it. Mommy sprayed my hair and gently brushed out the tangles.

"What kind of braid would you like?"

"I want pigtail French braids." I answered.

When she was done I looked in the mirror, twisting my head this way and that. I even ran my hands on my long braids. They looked great!

"I love it!"

"I do too. You look beautiful, Missy Bug. Get dressed and come to the kitchen, okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

Mommy kisses my head and leaves the room. I pull open my drawers to pick out my clothes for the day. I know exactly what I want to wear.


	2. Chapter 2

I was in a black sparkly tutu, rainbow tights, a grey shirt, and black sneakers. Higher and higher I was swinging on my swing set in the back yard. After a few seconds I jumped off. It was so fun! The wind whipped around me as the ground got closer. I giggle when I hit the ground and roll.

"Missy Bug! Come on in, sweetie. I have something I need to talk to you about over lunch!" Mommy called from the back door.

I got off the ground and brushed myself off. Is she going to tell me about the man from last night? Is she going to tell me about how he's coming over at 3? That he wants somebody? Who is the "she" they were talking about? Is it me? Surely it's not me right? I mean, why would he want me? But there isn't anyone else here besides Mommy and me, unless some other girl is gonna come over.

"Coming, Mommy! I want peanut butter and jelly! Can I have it cut up to look like a star?" I ask, running to the back door. Mommy left it open for me. It leads to the kitchen. I walk in and close the back door behind me.

"Of course you can. Coming right up." Mommy was moving around the kitchen, getting all the stuff she needs to make lunch. "Pick out what kind of chips you want with your sandwich."

I go to the pantry and open the double doors. On the bottom shelf there's a bag with all sorts of chips inside. I grab a little bag of Doritos. Next I go to the refrigerator. I want fruit punch.

"I have a friend coming over today. He really wants to meet you."

A friend? I thought to myself, trying not to smile or laugh. Last night he didn't seem like much of a friend. _You didn't like him then._ Why was she lying to me?

"What friend?" I ask, keeping my face and voice as innocent as possible. "Why does he want to meet me?"

"I've known Mr. Mikaelson for a few weeks now, sweetie, and he just wants to get to know you. Take you out for a few days." She sat the sandwich in front of me and started to make her own. The whole time she's talking to me she isn't looking me in the face. "I'm not sure exactly how long you're going to be gone, but it shouldn't be too long. Spring break ends in about 9 days."

"What if I don't wanna go?" I responded.

I know I don't have a choice. The man said he would make me go. I just wanna see what Mommy will say. She's lying to me still. He doesn't just want to get to know me. I'm payment for some deal Mommy made. Which doesn't make any sense. Why am  _I_  the payment? Why did she make the deal? Why isn't she being honest? She always tells  _me_  to be honest to  _her_.

I'm a little nervous about this. What's he going to do with me? Where will we go? What will we do?

"Missy Bug, you don't have to worry about a thing." I frowned at her answer. Yes I do. Some random man wants to do lord knows what with me. "Mr. Mikaelson will take good care of you and you'll be back before you know, you'll see."

Even though I don't want to go with Mr. Mikaelson, and I'm nervous, I'm also curious about meeting him. I want to know what he looks like. I want to know what his first name is. I want to know if he will say my name wrong like he does Mommy's. Maybe he's fun? He sounds like he could be fun. Maybe it won't be so bad? I hope it won't anyway.

"When will he be here?" I ask even though I know the answer. I just finished all my food and was full. It was yummy.

"Three o'clock, so why don't you go pack a bag?"

"I don't want to go." I say, not moving from my spot.

"I know you don't, but you have to sweetie. It's going to be okay." Mommy's voice is soft and her eyes get a little watery. She doesn't sound like it's going to be okay.

I still don't move. She says I have to go but she isn't telling my why. If I hadn't overheard the chat last night, I wouldn't have  _any_  idea about what's going on. Why doesn't she just tell me? I can handle it. I'm a big girl. I'm 5 years old now, that's halfway to 10. I'm not a baby.

"Melissa, just do what I said and go pack a bag." Mommy ran a hand over her face while she spoke. During the whole talk she hasn't looked me in the eye once.

With a sigh, I got down from my chair and shuffled my feet to my room.

When my butterfly suitcase is full of outfits, pajamas, two pairs of shoes, bows, detangle spray, a brush, three of my favorite books, and my hand-held video game, I roll it into the living room. Then I look at the digital clock, see that it says 2:07, and turn on the TV.

I was watching Disney Channel when I heard the doorbell. My whole body froze. Mr. Mikealson is  _here._  I don't know if I am more scared to meet him, or excited.

"I got the door Missy." Mommy tells me, walking out of kitchen and through the living room.

When she opened the door, there was a man standing there. He's tall with styled brown hair that fell around his face. He had brown eyes and a smirk on his lips. Mr. Mikealson is wearing dark jeans, a green shirt, and a jean jacket.

"Hello there, darling." Mr. Mikaelson had his eyes on Mommy. "Lovely to see you. I'm glad you made the right choice."


	3. Chapter 3

Mommy licked her lips nervously but didn't say anything in response.

"Well?" Mr. Mikaelson said in that pretty, teasing tone of his. "Are we going to stand here all day? Or are you going to let me in, darling?"

Mommy gulped and moved aside, waving her arm in a 'come in' gesture. She still didn't speak. Mr. Mikaelson struts into the room confidently, his hands in the pockets of his jean jacket. His eyes flickered around the room, to my suitcase, before settling on me. 

The smirk that was on his face grew. "Hello there." 

"Hello sir."

"Aren't you a pretty little thing?" His eyes danced as he spoke. I really liked the funny way he talked.

I blush pink. He thought I was pretty? I look away from his face, ducking my head down. He chuckled warmly. Mr. Mikaelson was in a good mood. Just like he was last night.

"Come here, little darling." He said invitingly.

I hesitated. Then got off the couch and made my way over. He knelt down on one knee when I got there. I looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled shyly.

He gave me a friendly smile back. "Why don't tell me your name?"

"Melissa Flora Wattcan."

"That's lovely. You can call me Kol."

I got to know his first name without even asking! I know a Cole, there's a boy in my class with that name.

"Thank you, Mr. Kol. How did you meet Mommy?" Speaking of my mommy, she's staring at the both of us. Why is she being so quiet? She hasn't said one word since he got here.

Is she scared? Is she mad? Is she going to try to make him let me stay?

"I was walking down the street, minding my own business, when out of bloody nowhere your mother flies around a corner and slams right into me." He says energetically, waving a hand around for emphasis. He was a very good story teller. He had my full attention. "The hot drink she was carrying spilled all over me."

My eyes widen. That must've hurt. "What happened next? What did you do?"

"I swore." He answered simply, face playful.

I snickered.

"Where are you taking my daughter?" A voice cuts in sharply. Mommy finally speaks.

Mr. Kol stands up and turns to her with a wicked expression. "Wherever I damn well please."

Mommy's jaw tightens, her lips press into a line. Mr. Kol puts a hand up to his ear and tilts his head to the side slightly.

"If there is something you want to say, darling, say it." He sounded teasing. I couldn't be sure though. Is he playing? Or is he being mean to Mommy?

Mr. Kol is a strange man. I've never met anyone like him before. I wanna know where he's taking me, but I don't speak up to ask. I decide I'll ask him in the car. Are we going very far? Is it going to be nice there? Am I going to be allowed to play? I hope I'm not going to have to stay inside all the time. Is it going to be just me and Mr. Kol?

I feel an arm grab my arm gently, but firmly, and I look up. Then I stare at Mommy. 

Mommy doesn't say anything back and he grins. "As much fun as this has been. It's time to hit the road."

He walks to the door, a hand still on my arm, forcing me to walk with him. I grab my suitcase while keeping my eyes on Mommy.

A frown pulls at my lips. "Bye Mommy, I love you."

"I love you too, Missy Bug." Everything about her looks sad, from her slumped body to her watery eyes.

I'm looking at her the whole walk until Mr. Kol closes the front door behind us.

We walk quietly to the fancy-looking red car in the driveway. Mr. Kol takes my suitcase and puts it in the trunk. When that's done, he walks around and opens the door for me.

"Hop on in and buckle yourself up, little darling."

I obey him, climbing into the backseat of the car. I notice there's a booster seat and buckle myself in. By the time I'm done, Mr. Kol is already in the driver's seat and starting the car. He puts one hand on the passenger seat as he twists around to look at me. His brown eyes locked with my light purple.

"Turn that frown upside down. It's going to be alright. We're going to have fun, you and I."

"Where are we going?" I ask, hoping he'll answer. 

"A hotel to start with, it has a pool you can swim in. Do you like to swim?"

"Yes sir. Why are we going to a hotel?" Is his house far away? Are we even gonna go to his house at all this whole visit?

He turns back around without replying and starts to drive. I look out the window at my house and yard. There's no telling when I'm coming back. The house gets smaller and smaller, until I can't see it anymore.

Mr. Kol doesn't answer my question. He drums his fingers on the steering wheel and hums a tune I've never heard. I look at him for a second before looking back out the window. The scenery blurs we're going so fast. How far away is the hotel? Will he let me call my mommy while I'm with him if I want too?


	4. Chapter 4

The loud sound of a phone ringing cut through the quiet car, making me almost jump out of my skin. I put a hand over my racing heart and let out a breathy laugh. Mr. Kol catches my eye in the rearview mirror briefly. I watch as he reaches one hand over to the passenger seat and picks up a phone. He doesn't check who's calling before answering.

"What?" He asks calmly. I see him cock his head to the side as he listens. I can imagine the smirk that must be on his face. He smirks a lot.

"Hello to you too, Nik." He replied sarcastically into the phone. There was a sneer in his voice. Whoever 'Nik' is, talks for a few seconds before Mr. Kol speaks again.

"I don't remember asking your permission,  _brother._ " Mr. Kol stresses the word 'brother' mockingly.

He has a brother? I wonder if he has more than one. It seems like Mr. Kol is getting a lecture from his brother Nik. Like he's in trouble or something. What did do that Nik doesn't like? Is the phone call about me and the deal with my mommy? Does Nik know about it?

"It's impressive that you're flexible enough to have your foot in your mouth and head up your arse at the same time." Mr. Kol snapped. He was getting angrier the more Nik spoke.

That was a weird insult. What did he mean?

Mr. Kol really does have a dirty mouth, he likes to swear. I've never heard someone swear as much in front of me as he does. Adults are usually careful about what they say when I'm around.

"Honestly Niklaus! Bugger off!" Mr. Kol hisses. He didn't let Nik reply, instead he hangs up and throws it into the passenger seat with a huff.

Niklaus? That's a weird name. It's kind of neat too. I bet it's fun to say.

Mr. Kol's hands are tight around the steering wheel. His body, which was relaxed before, is now tense. He was muttering under his breath, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. His temper made the turn he took next very sharp.

I yelped as I was slung to the left. Mr. Kol looked at me again in the review mirror for a second, before looking back at the road. I saw him take a few deep breaths. His hands loosen around the steering wheel but his shoulders remain stiff.

"Tell me about yourself, little darling." He said to me in a warm voice. I still wanna know if he would say my name with an r at the end like he did Mommy's.

"What would you like to know?"

"Anything." Mr. Kol replied.

"Okay. I like playing Super Mario Brothers and I think Frozen is a great movie. I saw it with my Nana. Elsa is so..." I was cut off before I could finish.

Mr. Kol's phone was ringing again. I heard him let out an exasperated breath. He slowed the car down so he could reach over to get it. He looks this time, before sitting it in the cup holder. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail.

"Why didn't you answer it?"

"I've had enough brotherly interaction today." He sounded irritated again. 

"What does interaction mean?" I ask him curiously. I like learning new words.

"I meant conversation, talking." Mr. Kol explained. I nodded my head to show that I understood.

"Was it Niklaus again?" I wondered. I bet Niklaus was angry that Mr. Kol hung up on him. I know it makes Mommy mad when people do it to her.

"You're just full of questions, aren't you?" It seemed like he found it funny. "No, little darling, it was another brother of mine. Elijah is his name."

Elijah. That sounds like it would be fun to say too. Both of his brothers have fun names. I wonder if Mr. Kol is older or younger than them. Does he have just the two or more? What about a sister? Does he have one of those? I think it would be nice to have a brother or a sister.

"We're here." Mr. Kol brought back me from my thoughts.

I looked out the window. The trees in front of the hotel have lights wrapped around them. It was a tall building that was a pale yellow. On the side of it I saw there were balconies. All six floors had them, they were white.

Mr. Kol parks the car on the left side of the building. When it's fully stopped, I unbuckle myself and get out. I'm glad we're finally here. I was tired of being in the car. Mr. Kol opens the trunk and gets my suitcase. He has it in one hand and the other is closing the trunk. Then he uses the hand he closed the trunk with to grab ahold of my hand.

"Now I want you to be on your best behavior, alright?" He says to me as we walk to the front door. Even though he says it like a question, I know it's an order. "No funny business."

"Yes sir. I promise."

We go to the big desk when we get inside. There was a lady behind it that was chewing her gum very loudly. Her makeup made her look like a clown. A smile appeared on my face at my thoughts.

"Hello." Mr. Kol says with a charming smile. He set my suitcase down and puts an elbow on the counter. "I have a reservation here by the name Mikaelson."

The woman looks at the computer and clicks away on it. After a second of searching she looks up at Mr. Kol.

"I'm sorry, sir. There's no reservation here by that name." She is still smacking her gum the whole time she's talking. The sound is getting VERY annoying.

He leans closer and makes sure to lock eyes. As I watch I notice Mr. Kol's pupils flutter slowly. It was strange.

"Look again, darling. I'm sure you will find it." His voice was a purring whisper. "There is a room reserved here under the name Mikaelson. It has two queen-sized beds."

The woman's face goes blank for a second. She looks back at the computer.

"Oh, there it is. Sorry for the confusion. You will find your room on fourth floor. Here is your key." She reaches down somewhere to grab it. It looks like the little debit card my mommy uses to buy stuff.

"Thank you." He says with a friendly wink, his voice was no longer a whisper.

He picks my suitcase back up and we head to the elevator. I reach over and press the little button with the up arrow. We don't wait long before the doors open with a  _ding._


	5. Chapter 5

When we got to the room, Mr. Kol put the suitcase on the table. I close the door and look up at him. He reaches into the inside of his jacket to pull out a little thin silver cup with a lid.

I eyed it curiously. "What's that?"

"This," He smirked at me, "is called a flask. I put water in it. Do you want some?"

"Sure, thanks." I reach for it and he gives it to me. I unscrewed the lid and gulped the water down as fast as I could. When I was done, I noticed that I didn't leave any left for Mr. Kol. So I look up at him sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't leave you any."

"That quite alright, little darling. I didn't want it." Mr. Kol was sitting on the bed nearest to the door and pulled out his phone.

I climbed up on the bed with him. My eyes searched the room. It had three tables; on one of them was my suitcase, on another was a microwave. Beside the table with the microwave on it was a little refrigerator. The third table was in the middle of the two beds. It had a digital clock on it flashing 5:00 and a lamp. There was also a long counter with a sink across the room. Near it was a door, which I guess leads to the bathroom.

After a few minutes my head started to feel fuzzy and weird. I look to Mr. Kol.

"I don't feel so good." I say with a frown. He glances up from whatever he was doing on his phone.

"Do you not?" Mr. Kol asked. "That's odd, you seemed fine just a few minutes ago. Maybe you should lie down."

I relax into the pillow. Yeah, maybe I  _should_  lie down. I am starting to feel really sleepy. I've never gotten so sleep so fast. I was just wide awake a few minutes ago.  _Why I am I sleepy all of a sudden?_  I wasn't lying down long before I was out cold.

My whole body felt like a million pounds when I woke up. This doesn't feel like my bed. Where am I? What happened?

It takes a few seconds for everything to come back to me. I'm with Mr. Kol at a hotel. I started feeling funny and fell sleep. How long was I out? I opened my eyes slowly. My head had a little throbbing I tried to ignore.

I arched my back and stretched with a groan. Then I rubbed a hand over my eyes and sat up. The lights in the hotel room were on. I looked around but didn't see Mr. Kol.

Where was he?

As soon as I thought that, the bathroom door opened and he walked out. He was wearing jeans but no shirt. He was also using a towel to dry his hair. He noticed I was awake and smirked at me.

He quirked a single eyebrow. "Well, well, look who finally woke up."

"How long was I asleep?" I ask around a yawn.

"The rest of the day and all night. I thought you'd never wake up." At the last part, his face and voice turned playful.

He threw the towel under the sink. I looked over to the digital clock. It was now flashing 10:00 in red letters. Shock flashes through me. WOW! I was asleep that long?! It's already that late in the morning?

My jaw dropped. Mr. Kol snickered at my expression with wet hair falling into his face.

"Holy moly." That's all I can say, unable to believe I slept that long.

Mr. Kol snorted.

"It's your turn to get in the shower, little darling. Hop to it." He turns to the mirror. With a little bottle of something and a brush he starts to style his hair.

I get up to get a change of clothes, my tooth brush, and a towel. Then I go to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I put the towel onto the closed toilet lid with my clothes under it. Next I take the bows out of my hair and undo my braid. When I take my clothes off, I throw it and my bows in a pile beside the toilet. Next I get the water temperature right before climbing in. I make sure to get super clean before getting out and drying off.

I change into my royal blue pants and a rainbow shirt. After that I take the towel and dry my hair the best I can. It's still wet but not dripping anymore and that's good enough for me. My ruby curls are hanging to my belly button. I decide I am going to leave my hair down today, but will keep a hair tie in my pocket just in case I want to put it in a ponytail later.

With a tooth brush in my hand, I open the door and go to the sink. I leave the rest of the stuff in the bathroom. I brush my teeth REALLY good, before going to Mr. Kol. He's wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt now and his hair is styled. He sat on the bed by the door with his phone again. I think he's playing a game.

When I'm standing beside him, he looks over to me. "I was thinking that we should get some breakfast. How does IHOP sound?"

"That sounds great to me Mr. Kol. I love IHOP." I give him a big smile.

Mommy and I don't go there very often, but I  _do_  love it. All the food is sooo yummy. I think I want some French toast and hash browns or maybe pancakes and eggs.


	6. Chapter 6

We are on our way back to the hotel. My belly was full of French toast; it was super yummy.

The waitress Kayla really liked Mr. Kol. She would bat her eye lashes and smile really big. Mr. Kol would smile back at her, be super nice, and give her lots of complements. When she would disappear though, he'd laugh about it. He'd look at me and mock her high pitched voice and bat his eyelashes dramatically. He'd even fan himself with his hand. He was super silly. But after he did it, I started doing it too. He made me laugh so hard I had to put a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't be too loud.

Breakfast was so much fun.

When the lady brought the bill, I saw there was a napkin underneath. I asked Mr. Kol what was on it. He flipped it over so I could see and snickered a little. There, written in pink sparkly letters, was her phone number. There was even a kiss stain in red lipstick. We held in our laughter about that until we walked outside.

It isn't very far from the hotel to IHOP. We should be there soon. I saw Mr. Kol reach over and turn on the radio. My whole face lit up and I clapped in delight. I love music! I was so lost in thought yesterday, I forgot to ask him to turn some on. The song that started playing was Get Lucky. I knew it!

I started swaying in my booster seat.

_"Like the legend of the phoenix. All ends with beginnings. What keeps the planet spinning (uh)? The force of love beginning."_  I sang along with the radio softly with closed eyes.  _"We've come too far to give up who we are. So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars._ "

"You sound spectacular, little darling." Mr. Kol interrupted me.

"What does spectacular mean?" I opened my eyes and saw we made it back. Mr. Kol parked and turned around to look at me, the music still played in the background.

_She's up all night 'til the sun_  
_I'm up all night to get some_  
 _She's up all night for good fun_  
 _I'm up all night to get lucky_

"It means amazing." He replied. The look of awe on his face was familiar. I get that look a lot when I sing. I've been told I have a gift. No matter how many times I've been told how good I sing, I still get flattered.

A light blush spread across my cheeks. "Thank you, sir. My mommy said my daddy could sing really well too."

Mr. Kol smirked and turned back around. He turned off the radio and got out of the car. I followed him. When we were walking hand in hand back inside, I noticed he didn't lock the door. I told him as much.

"Oh, so I didn't." He got the clicker out of his pocket so he could lock the car.

The rest of the walk was quiet. When we were in our room again, Mr. Kol turned to me and asked the most random question.

"Have you had it your whole life?" He tilted his head, curiosity written all over his face.

I had no idea what he was talking about. My face went completely blank. He tapped a finger on the inside of his left wrist as an explanation. The blank expression was replaced with one of shock and disbelief. He can see it?! No one can see it! Not Mommy, not my teacher, and not any of the other kids at my school! Everyone thought I was making it up!

"Have you?" He repeated.

"No, sir." I answered, shock in my voice. "It appeared last year on my birthday. I woke up and there it was! I showed it to Mommy and asked how it got there and why but she couldn't see it. Nobody's been able to see it."

He hummed in the back of his throat and nodded. We both look down at the inside of my left wrist to see the light tan star. It was the size of a quarter and stood out against my pale skin. The tips of the star were curled. It was really pretty, but I have no idea how it got there. Everyone thought I was making it up but I  _knew_ it was real. I knew it!

"How can you see it?" I asked him equally amazed and relieved. I felt a weight lift off of me. Finally somebody can see it!

"It's there clear as day, little darling. How could I  _not_ see it?" His eyes were full of mischief. Was he hiding something from me? Does he know why it's there? Why nobody has been able to see it but me and him? I searched his playful face, but it gave me more questions than answers.

"I almost forgot." He walked over to his jean jacket that was laying on the back of a chair. He reached into the right pocket and pulled out a slightly sparkly, black, braided bracelet. "I got this for you. Will you wear it?"

"Of course! It's so pretty. Thank you, Mr. Kol." I smiled widely, distracted. He got me a present? That's so nice! I love it.

"Hold out your left wrist for me, little darling. I'll put it on for you."

I obediently held out my left wrist. He knelt down to put it on. The bracelet went on with a quiet  _snap._ I twisted my wrist around, admiring it. It covered up my star mark. It didn't occur to me maybe that was the goal. Instead, I smiled up at Mr. Kol and he smiled back.

"How about we watch a few movies together to pass the time?" He asked, standing back up. "I got a few while you were asleep yesterday, along with your little gift."

"Sure." I replied. "Is that all you did?"

"No. I also went out for a bite." His face made me feel like I was missing something. That and there was something about the way he said it. I watch as he reaches into a black bag I just noticed was beside my suitcase. Out came a few movies.

"Oh!" I remembered a question I wanted to ask. "Can I call my mommy?"

"Well, you  _have_  been very good." He replies. My chest fills with hope. "Tonight, before you go to bed, you can call her to say goodnight."

"Thank you, sir!" I say excitedly, smiling widely. I miss Mommy. I'm so happy he's going to let me call her!

I kick off my shoes and we sit on the bed close to the door. Mr. Kol spread the movies out between us and we look them over. Mr. Kol is an odd man for sure, but I like that about him. I've never met anyone like him.


	7. Chapter 7

"I really  _am_  doing fine Mommy, honest." I say into the phone.

She almost didn't give me a chance to say anything. As soon as I said hello, Mommy asked a hundred questions in a single breath. How am I? Where am I? How has he been treating me? Have I eaten enough? What have I been doing? On and on she went.

"Are you sure? How's he treating you?"

"You already asked that." I giggle into the phone. "I know you're worried but you don't need to. Mr. Kol is really nice. I'm even having a little fun. I miss you though. Lots and lots. I'm sleepy now, Mommy. I'm going to bed. I just called to say goodnight."

"Okay." Mommy said in an uncertain voice. She clearly didn't want to hang up. "Goodnight, Missy Bug. I miss you too. Sweet dreams."

I saw Mr. Kol reach a hand out, his face expectant. After saying I love you I plop the phone into his waiting palm. I already changed into my PJ's and was snuggled under the covers. Mr. Kol put on his jacket and started toward the door. The blankets pooled in my lap when I bolted upright. He was going out? Why? Where?

"Don't worry, my little darling." Mr. Kol purred prettily as he opened the door. "I won't be gone long. I'm just going for a walk. Go to sleep."

He closed the door softly, leaving me alone in the dark room. I lie back down slowly and get snuggled into the covers again. It's kind of late for a walk isn't it? I thought to myself. Why would he want to go alone anyway? That's no fun.

My eyes flew open hours later and I jerk up.

What a weird dream. I struggled to remember the details. The more I tried, the more it slipped away. I looked over to see it was only 7 in the morning. I wish I could go back to sleep but now I was wide awake. UGH! Mr. Kol's sleeping form was in the other bed by the wall. I walk quietly as possible when I go to the bathroom. I didn't wanna wake him up.

I creep just as silently back to bed. Just when I started to climb in, I saw Mr. Kol's phone flashing. Someone was calling him, but he must have it on silent. My mouth moved when I looked at the letters NIKLAUS and tried sounding them out. It was Mr. Kol's brother, I figured out. If he's calling this early it must be important. I'll wake Mr. Kol up so he can talk to him. I pick up the phone and answer it so it doesn't go to voicemail.

"Hello?" I say as quietly as possible.

There was a pause before Mr. Niklaus spoke. "Hello, little love. What's your name?"

His voice! My spine straightened in excitement. He says words in that pretty way Mr. Kol does! I smile at the sound of it.

"I am Melissa, Mr. Niklaus sir." I reply shyly. I look over to wake up Mr. Kol. Only to see he was staring at me. He didn't look very happy either. Brown eyes were narrowed and his jaw was locked. I quickly hand him the phone.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" He spat into the phone.

While he was talking I hurriedly climbed into the other bed. Nerves fluttered in my belly. Mr. Kol was mad that I answered the phone. He was scary when he was angry. I didn't want him angry at me. I eyed him while he talked. I wasn't listening to what he was saying though. I was wondering how much trouble I would be in when he hung up.

"Don't you ever answer my phone again Melissa." He hissed at me after he tossed it on the bed. I pulled the covers that were at my waist up to my chin in response, my heart heavy. I didn't want the first time I heard him say my name to be like this. Instead of being happy, I felt worse. "What were you thinking?"

'I-I just wanted to answer it so it didn't go to voicemail." My lips wobbled while I spoke. "I thought it was important. I was about to wake you up! I wasn't gonna talk to him any longer!"

Mr. Kol closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. After a few seconds of tense silence, he opened his eyes and lowered his hand. The fire was gone in them.

"I didn't mean to frighten you, little darling." His voice was soft. I felt a little better when I heard him call me that. Am I forgiven?

"Sorry sir. I won't do it again."

"It's okay Melissa." He purred my name this time, instead of hissing it. It made me smile a little. He said it very cutely. "I'm not mad. All is well. Don't feel bad alright? I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were just trying to help."

I nodded earnestly. I  _was_  just trying to help.

"Let's forget all about it, shall we?" He gave me a crooked smile. "Come on, let's go do something fun."

"Okay." I reply sitting up. "Like what?"

"Well, for starters I have an errand to run. We're going to see a friend of mine. Then we can go do whatever you like. Deal?"

"Deal." I nod. "What's your friend like?"

"She's a horrid witch." He teased with a wink. "Get dressed and we'll go."

45 minutes later we pull into the driveway of a little blue house surrounded by trees. We get out and walk up the stone walkway. Just when we reach the porch the front door opens. A small brunette woman with blue eyes walks out.

Mr. Kol pushes me behind him with a smile. "Loretta, darling. Always a pleasure."

The only reply she gave was narrowing her eyes at him. She looked passed him to me. I duck further behind Mr. Kol and grab the belt loops of his jeans in my hands. Then I press my face against him. 


	8. Chapter 8

After a few seconds I heard Ms. Loretta talk to Mr. Kol.

"I'm not inviting you in."

That's not very nice. Mr. Kol was being nice to her. Why is she being mean?

My eyes glance sideways and lock on the woods. Something was making noise. After a long moment I saw a beautiful deer. It appeared at the tree line, looking straight at me. His antlers were huge! The biggest I've ever seen. I let go of Mr. Kol's belt loops and took a step from behind him. Both Ms. Loretta and Mr. Kol were watching us carefully.

The deer ignored everything except me as it walked over. He looked so princely with his head held high. It got a foot from me and bowed low. Every spike on top of his head was pointed at me. I giggled and make my way to him. I run my hands along his antlers, admiring them. They were wide, tall, and heavy looking. How can he walk with these things on his head?

"You're such a pretty thing, aren't you?" I cooed to the animal as I pet it, "Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

It made a huffing sound and shook its head slightly. Antlers brush against me. I giggled, not surprised at the way he was acting. I get this behavior a lot from all sorts of animals. It's happened ever since the star appeared on my wrist. Not every day, but all sorts of animals  _have_  come up to me and let me play with them. Bunnies, deer, birds, foxes and more would walk up to me, bow, and spend time with me.

The kids in my class didn't believe me when I told them about it. They thought I was making it up. "Wild animals don't act like that" they would say, in their annoying knowing tones. Adults pretended to believe but I could tell they really didn't. Nothing I said changed anyone's mind. Not even Mommy until one day she saw a fox come out of the woods from the kitchen window, bow at my feet, play with me, and then leave.

I pet the deer another minute or two. Then it stands up from its bow. One hoof pawed at the ground. With one more shake of its head, it goes back into the woods. I wave goodbye to my animal friend until he's out of sight. After he's gone, I look back over to Ms. Loretta and Mr. Kol. He looked impressed and smug. She was shocked and in awe. I hurry half-behind Mr. Kol and look up at Ms. Loretta shyly.

"I can't believe it." Ms. Loretta said. Her wide eyes shot from my face to Mr. Kol, "She shouldn't be able to do that so young. The mark already appeared?"

Mr. Kol nodded with a big smirk.

"But she's so young, it shouldn't have appeared yet! She shouldn't be able to do that. Do you know what this means? If the mark appeared on her already, so far from the age when she receives The Inheritance. She is going to be  _so powerful._ " She spoke all of this really fast. The look on her face made me think she was going to faint.

I'm so confused. She knows about my mark too? How? What's an inheritance? I'm going to be powerful? Why does she think that? How old does she think I'm going to be when I "receive The Inheritance"? What's it going to do to me? Is it like a present?

"She is  _magnificent_." Mr. Kol purrs. What does that mean? "Not only do I find this rare treasure when one hasn't been spotted in centuries, but when I do she already has the mark so young? How marvelous is that? Do you want to know what the best part is? She is  _all mine."_ The last two words were hissed through a bared-teethed grin.

The more they talk, the more confused I get. I have no idea what's happening or what any of it means. Why am I a rare treasure? What's a century? What does my star have to do with anything? I'm just a kid…. aren't I? Just like all the other kids in the world. But if not, then what am I?

I wrapped my arms around Mr. Kol's leg tightly. I really wanted my mommy now. Not all this craziness. I want to be in my bed, in my house, with my mommy.

"I don't need your assistance anymore, Loretta darling. I thought I did, but it turns out that I don't. So, we will just be on our way." Mr. Kol grabbed me as he spoke and picked me up. I wrapped my hands around his neck and my legs around his waist. "I trust you won't speak of this to anyone?"

Mr. Kol's face and voice turned dark at the last part. I knew it was an order and not a question. I buried my head in his neck. I didn't want to be at this house anymore.

"Of course I won't. I owe you one, remember?" Her voice was a quiet hush, "After this my debt to you for saving my life is paid. I keep your secret about  _her_ and we're even."

"Sounds good to me, darling." Mr. Kol responded as he walked us back to the car. He saved her life? How? What happened?

Mr. Kol put me in the car and got in the front seat. He turned around to face me then, his face friendly. It made me feel a little better.

"I know you're very confused," His voice is so pretty and soft, "but I swear everything is alright. How about we go swimming and later I'll answer any questions you have? Okay? Would that make you feel better?"

I nodded with a small smile. That'd make me feel better. I really want to know what's going on. I want my mommy. I wanna know what  _he_  knows about my star and what it means. Will he tell me what an "inheritance" is?

"I want my mommy, Mr. Kol." I beg.

"I know you do, but she isn't here. I am here, and you can trust me. I'll make everything better. Okay, my little one?"

He waited until I nodded before turning around and starting the car. As we drove off, I stared out the window lost in thought. His little one? That was new. Would he really answer my questions honestly? If he did, what would he say?


	9. Chapter 9

I squealed delightedly when Mr. Kol threw me from the shallow end of the pool to the deep end. Wind whipped around me and I was swallowed by water. My feet hit the bottom and I rocket myself to the surface. My hand reaches out to grip the edge of the pool tightly. Gasping for air, I look around for Mr. Kol. I found him drying himself off.

"Come on," He called over to me, "we've been here for two hours. I think that's enough, don't you? Let's head back to the room. There are some yogurts in the fridge you can have to eat."

"Awe man." I pout. "Can't we swim just a little longer? 5 more minutes?"

"No." The look on his face told me he didn't appreciate my whining.

With a disappointed sigh, I swam over to the ladder and got out. I wasn't disappointed for long though, because I remembered Mr. Kol said he'd answer my questions after we swam.

"Mr. Kol?" I asked looking up at him hopefully. His response was to quirk an eyebrow at me expectantly.

"Will you answer my questions now? You said you would when we were done swimming."

We're done swimming, I thought to myself, waiting for him start telling me stuff already.

"When we get back to the room I'll answer your questions, little darling. After you get dressed of course."

I lit up at his answer. Yay!

On the walk back I already came up with the questions I'd ask. How can he see my star mark when others can't? How did Ms. Loretta know about it? What does it mean? What did all that talk about "receiving The Inheritance" mean? Why did the woman think I would be so powerful? Powerful at what?

When we got back to the room, I got dressed, grabbed a yogurt and a plastic spoon. Then I sat at the end of the bed by the wall. Mr. Kol was leaning against the headboard with a calm look on his face and his posture relaxed.

"Before I answer anything I'm going to need you to promise me something." At my nod he continued, "You have to keep all of it a secret. Everything. Why you are with me, your star mark, everything that happened at Loretta's, what you can do with the animals, and whatever information I give you."

Wow. That was a lot to promise. Why did he want it to be a secret? While he was talking I finished my yogurt, so I put the trash on the floor. Then I looked at him seriously and crawled over to him. I held out my pinky. He looked from it to my face, confused.

"It's a pinky swear." I said in a 'duh' tone of voice.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?"

My eyes went wide and I gasped in disbelief. He's never heard of a pinky swear?! Who hasn't heard of a  _pinky swear_?

"By the look on your face, I take it that I  _am_ supposed to know." He said with a snort and a roll of his brown eyes.

"Of course you are!" I exclaimed. "It's only the most important of all swears. No one can  _ever_  break a pinky swear."

I grab his wrist with my left hand – my star mark still covered with my pretty bracelet - and I wrapped my pinky around his.

"There." I say with a nod. "I pinky swear I won't say anything."

"Perfect." Was his response and I dropped his hand. "What would you like to know first? One question at a time."

"How can you see my star mark when my mommy and the people at my school can't?"

He paused and seemed to be thinking as he licked his lips. I waited impatiently until after a few seconds, he finally answered me.

"Only supernatural beings can see it." Before I could ask what supernatural was he continued, "Supernatural means not human. A few examples would be a werewolf, vampire, hybrid, or a witch."

Holy moly. Those are  _real_? That's sooo cool! Wow.

"Which one are you?" My voice was full of awe and interest.

"I'm a vampire."

A  _vampire?_ Like off of Hotel Transylvania? Can he walk on ceilings? Turn into a bat? How can he show up in mirrors? What does he eat? Animals? Is he really fast? Is he really strong?

"WOAH! That so cool. Can you show me your fangs?" I blurt out.

"If you're sure you want to see… It can be scary looking." He replied. He was surprised at my positive reaction. He thought I'd be afraid? That's silly!

"Of course I wanna see! This is so awesome! I promise I won't be afraid. "

"Well, if you're sure." Mr. Kol's face was amused now and so was his voice. I nodded excited, I couldn't wait. Mr. Kol's face changed and I looked at him with wide, admiring eyes.

The white of his eyes turned red and the brown became black. Black veins moved all around his eyes like snakes. I couldn't stop staring. I've never seen anything like it in my whole life! I guess I should have been afraid but I wasn't. I was blown away. Next he opened his mouth and there they were.

His fangs.

The white, sharply pointed, and wider than normal teeth. They were two inches long. Mesmerized, I reach a hand out to touch them, but before I could he closed his mouth. My purple eyes shot to his red and black ones, disappointed. A smirk appeared on his lips.

"Now, now little darling." He said, waving a single finger at me playfully in a 'no' gesture. "They're really sharp. You can look but not touch."

His fangs flashed in and out of view and I nodded my agreement with a giggle. Mr. Kol looked at the door with an annoyed expression and his face returned to normal.

Then he looked back to me. "Remember your pinky swear."

I was confused and disappointed. What's going on? Why did he make his vampire-face go away? My questions were answered when I heard banging on the door. I jumped, startled.

"Kol, you arse!" I heard an angry woman, with the same way of speaking as Mr. Kol and Mr. Niklaus, shout. "You bloody better answer this door or I'll break it down!"

In less than a second, Mr. Kol was off the bed and at the door. The sight distracted me from my fear of the angry woman slightly. I guess that answers my question about him being fast. Is she going to hurt Mr. Kol? I really hope not. Surely she can't right? I mean he  _is_  a  _vampire,_ but maybe she was too. I got under the covers and pulled them up to my nose. My eyes were locked on Mr. Kol. I watched as he opened the door with his shoulders ridged. He was clearly angry right back at her.


	10. Chapter 10

The woman at the door had blond hair up in a ponytail, angry blue eyes, and furrowed brows. Her hands were crossed over her chest. The red dress she wore was really pretty.

Ms. Rebekah ignored me as she stormed into the room, slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell do you want Rebekah?" Mr. Kol hissed at her with hands balled into fists at his sides.

She got even madder. I imagined smoke coming out of her ears, like in cartoons. "What I  _want_ is for you to not run off when we need you!"

"You needed me?" He repeats, throwing his hands up. "HA!"

"What do you mean 'HA'?" Ms. Rebekah snarled. "Silas was raising hell and you just LEFT!"

"You're damn right I left, you cow!" He pointed his finger at her sharply as he spoke.  _Who is Silas? Is he a supernatural too?_  "I tried warning all of you about him! I said he would cause hell on Earth. None of you listened to me! Again and again I told everyone not to raise him! If you went to get the cure, he'd wake up, isn't that what I said? But NO! Everyone called me crazy! Thought he was a  _myth._ Well, who's crazy now?!"

During his rant Ms. Rebekah lost her fire, she looked ashamed now. I think she should be ashamed if what Mr. Kol saying is true. He deserves his "I told you so". What was this Silas doing? What is he? I felt bad for Mr. Kol, he tried so hard to help and they just called him crazy. That had to hurt his feelings.

What did he mean cure? Cure for what?

"Kol…" Ms. Rebekah sounded sorry.

"SHUT UP!" He exclaimed loudly, his voice had been climbing until he reached a shout. "I was almost  _murdered_ trying to stop you lot from raising him! All of you deserve whatever hell he put you through!"

"I didn't know the doppelganger and her idiotic brother were going to attempt to kill you." Ms. Rebekah replied.

"I don't bloody give a damn! That doesn't make any of it better!"

"No it doesn't." She murmured, her eyes darted to the floor.

"Leave." Mr. Kol's voice was a soft, but his eyes were still angry.

"Kol…"

"LEAVE!" He screamed, interrupting her.

He grabbed her arm tightly and shoved her toward the door. She opened it and took a step out. Then she looked from him, to me, back to him again, before leaving. The door closed quietly behind her.

When she left I sat up in the bed. I felt really badly for poor Mr. Kol. I tapped the spot beside me and looked at him hopefully. I wanted to give him a hug to make him feel better. Maybe a kiss too. When he look to the window, I thought he would leave and ignore my invite. Surprisingly, in a blink of an eye he was lying beside me in the bed instead.

"I am sorry she upset you, Mr. Kol." I say softly.

I put my hands on either side of face and leaned down to kiss him softly on the nose.

"It's fine, my little one." He replied, hard brown eyes softening. I smiled widely. It made me happy I could make him feel better.

"Wanna hear a funny joke?" I asked to lighten the mood even more.

"Sure." He smirked at me, but it looked forced.

"Knock, knock" I giggle.

I just know he'll like this joke. I loved it the first time I heard Mommy say it to me.

"It's open." He replied sassily.

"You're not supposed to say that, silly!" I giggle at him. "It ruins it!"

"Alright, alright." He snickers. "I will do it properly this time. Go again."

"Knock, Knock."

"Who's there?" He asked.

"Chimp." I say to him, still giggling.

"Chimp who?"

"A chimp off the old block!" I grin excitedly and burst into laughter.

I see Mr. Kol snort with a shake of his head in response to my joke. He thought it was funny! Yay!

"That's funny huh?" I ask after I am done laughing.  

"Sure it is, little darling. Good job." He rolls his eyes fondly as he answers me.

I light up. I knew he would like it! It was the funniest joke I knew. I lay my head on his chest and turn my face to his. Even though I miss my mommy, I do like spending time with Mr. Kol. I like that I made such a great new friend. We were quiet for a few minutes. Mr. Kol starts running his hand through my hair, causing me to close my eyes. It felt sooo good.

"Am I a witch?" I blurt out. I really want to know the answer. Our conversation earlier got side tracked.

"No, you're not a witch." He says, his hand didn't stop running through my hair. "You are not any of the beings I listed earlier. You're something special and very rare. I really do not feel like explaining right now though, if it's all the same to you. I'm sorry, we  _will_  continue our little talk another time. I promise."

I nodded my head in reply. What could I possibly be then? I had no idea. I really wanted to insist we talk now but I don't say anything. I just lay on his chest and enjoy the feeling of him running his hand through my hair. I even start to hum softly. We stay like that for quite some time and eventually I drift off to sleep. Memories of Nana fill my dreams.


	11. Chapter 11

Mr. Kol left half an hour ago after I took a shower. He said he was hungry, that he would be right back and not to worry. I'm jumping on the bed by the wall. I spun around and around as I jumped, occasionally I would lose my balance and fall.

" _Little bunny Foo Foo, Hopping through the forest, Scooping up the field mice, And bopping 'em on the head._ " I sang as I jumped. " _And down came the Good Fairy, And she said 'Little bunny Foo Foo, I don't like you're attitude, Scooping up the field mice, And bopping 'em on the head'_."

I paused in my song to jump to the other bed. Then I started jumping and singing again.

" _I'll give you 3 chances. Then I'll turn you into a goon! The next day.._   _Little bunny Foo Foo, Hopping through the forest, Scooping up the field mice, And bopping 'em on the head."_ My tone turned giggly at the end. I spun around and then I let out a surprised shout, my heart jumped to my throat and I fell on my butt. I looked over at the sink with wide eyes. A  _man_ was standing there.

He wasn't a short man, but he was shorter than Mr. Kol. He had spikey ruby hair and bangs that fell into his glowing green eyes. The man also had  _wings._ Actual wings! Big feathered red and yellow wings, the tips of them touched the ground. As pretty as the bird man was, I was still scared. He didn't look very happy, there was a deep frown on his face. His glowing eyes were narrowed and I gulped.

How did he even get in here? He couldn't have flown, we were in a room. He couldn't have walked through the door and passed me without me noticing! Could those wings even fit through the door? I doubted it. I was frozen on the bed unable to move.

I really want Mr. Kol to come and scare him away!   

"Melissa." The bird man's musical voice said to me in disapproval.

My heart sped up even further and I took a deep intake of breath. He  _knew_  my  _name_?! How?! I blinked and his wings disappeared. I blinked again and he was gone. I screamed loudly. In the next instant the door swung open wide and Mr. Kol was at my side. I jumped, startled, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he look around the room suspiciously.

"What?" He asked, worried brown eyes locked with my frightened purple. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"There-there was a-a bird man!" I stuttered. "He just appeared out of nowhere!"

"A bird man?" His eyes flickered around the room again before going back to my face. I didn't think he would believe me but the look on his face said that he did.

"Yeah! He was standing over there" I pointed to the sink, "He was there one second and gone the next!"

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Just my name. It was super scary!" I flung my arms around his shoulders and pressed my head against his neck. "He was mad."

"I won't let the bird-man hurt you, little darling." He wrapped his arms around me. "If he ever appears again let me know okay? I'll take care of him. Also, don't go anywhere with him."

I nodded my head. Of course I won't go anywhere with him! Why would I? I felt Mr. Kol run his hands up and down my back soothingly.

"Don't be afraid, my little one." He purrs to me. "I am here now."

Him being here does make me feel better, and so does the hug. His arms are strong, nothing can hurt me now. We stay like that for a few minutes before I pull back and look at his face. 

"Come on, show me a pretty smile." He says with a smirk, his brown eyes are smiling at me. I smile a small smile obediently. He squint his eyes and tilts his head like he looking hard for something.

"What's that? It almost looks like a smile, but it's just so tiny."

I smile wider with a giggle. Mr. Kol is so silly.

"There we go! That's much better." He taps my back once and lets me go with a wink.

"If he comes back you'll just scare him away, huh?"

"You're damn right I will!" He exclaimed with a snicker. Mr. Kol morphed his face so that it was his vampire face and let out a playful snarl.

"Oh no! Ahhh!" I shout, trying to hold back my giggles. "Get away!"

I hurriedly get off the bed and run to the bathroom, but before I can make it I'm caught. Mr. Kol picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. I flail around, kicking my feet and hitting his back.

"I caught me snack." He whispers playfully, in a dramatically deep voice, and bites at my leg.

"Ahh! Stop it!" I exclaim with a giggle. "I'm not a snack!"

"Sure you are, and you are a  _delicious_  one." His says in-between playful bites.

"No I am not!" I say still flailing around. I bang my hands harder on his back, but it has no effect.

"Nom. Nom." He says in that dramatically deep voice. I laugh harder as he finds a ticklish spot. Then, unexpectedly, he throws me across the room and on the bed by the door. I continue to laugh as I bounce a few times before I can sit up. I see Mr. Kol wiggle his eyebrows at me as he rubs his tummy.

"You ate my legs!" My voice is breathless as I speak. "I'm never going to walk again!"

He shrugs his shoulders in an 'I don't care' manner, his eyes are laughing.


	12. Chapter 12

"You don't care?" I exclaim, pretending to be offended. 

"Nope." Mr. Kol smirks. "Listen, little darling, I have to get a shower. You stay in here, okay? If someone knocks, look out the window first before answering. I won't take long."

I nodded my head, ruby curls bouncing with the movement. He winks at me before, in a blur, he's gone. I get up and start bouncing on the bed again. I hum the tune to Little Bunny Fofo under my breath. I hope the bird man stays away. I have no idea what I could've done to make him mad.  

A knock at the door makes me hop off the bed and head for the window. I really hope it isn't Ms. Rebekah here to yell at Mr. Kol again. I push the green curtain out of the way and peak out. Surprisingly, there was an upset boy standing there. He looks, maybe, 3. He was wringing his little hands together, amber eyes shining with unshed tears. He was only in a bathing suit, his short black hair looked a little wet. I hurry to open the door.  

"You no Mama." The boy said with wobbling lips. He rubbed a fist over his eye.

"No, sorry." I reply sweetly. "You can come in if you want. We have yogurt and you can call your Mama."

He looked up at me with puppy eyes and nodded his head. I lit up and grabbed his tiny hand and led him inside. He pushed the door closed with his other hand.

"I'll get you a yogurt, huh?" I coo to him. He nodded in reply, tightening his grip on my hand.

"I lost." He says to me. "I no know where Mama."

"I'm sorry. After you eat we can call your Mama. Do you know how to do that?" I ask, opening the fridge and getting the yogurt with my other hand. We can both hear the sound of the shower running. 

"Mama taught." He nods. I let go of his hand and his lips start wobbling again.

"Don't cry, little guy. I just need to get you a spoon, okay?" I tell him hurriedly. I don't like tears!

He nods again. I hand him the yogurt and reach to get the spoon on top of the fridge. I give that to him too.

"Do you wanna eat on the bed?" 

"Otay." He agrees.

We walk over to the bed by the door. I get on first and help him on after. We sat side-by-side, with me near the table. I help the little boy open the yogurt so he could eat. He was such a cutie. I smiled as he ate and he smiled back for the first time. I'm glad he seems to be feeling better.

"My name is Melissa. What's yours?"

"Me Andrew."

"Do you wanna call your Mama now Andrew?" I ask after he was done eating, making sure to keep my tone extra nice.

Andrew sat the yogurt cup and spoon down with a nod. So I reached over to the phone and hand it to him. I heard the shower stop. Mr. Kol will be out here soon. I bet he heard everything. 

"Mama?" He asked into the phone after dialing the number. I heard a woman speaking very fast, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. Andrew shrugged his shoulders and gave me the phone.

"Hello?" I ask, confused. Why would his mama want to talk to me?

"Hello, can you tell me what room you are in?"

"Yes ma'am, we are in room 405." I answer.

"Thank you so much sweetie. I will be right there."

Then I heard a beep. She hung up. I turn to Andrew and smile widely.

"Mama's coming!" I exclaim happily. Andrew clapped and laughed.

"Well, hello. Sounds like a party in here. Why wasn't I invited?"

I turn to see Mr. Kol, his brown hair was wet and hanging into his dark brown eyes. He was only wearing jeans. I wave happily to him and he smirks at me in response.

"Mr. Kol! I'm glad you're out!" I bounce off the bed and run to him. I hold up my arms and he picks me up. I'm on his hip, arms around his neck and legs around his stomach. "Andrew's my new friend. His Mama is coming to get him."

"Yes, so I heard."

We look over to see Andrew watching at us shyly. He waves at Mr. Kol and gets a wink in response. Before anyone could say anything else there was a knock at the door.

That was fast.

"Mama!" Andrew yells, running to the door. Mr. Kol walks over too and when Andrew opens it, he is immediately lifted into the arms of a short-haired blond woman with brown eyes. The woman and Andrew have the same lips and nose.

"Oh my baby. I was so worried. Don't run off like that again."

"Butterfly." Andrew replies in his cute little voice.  

"Even if you see another pretty butterfly, you still can't run off. You scared Mama when I couldn't find you." She hugs Andrew tightly as talks to him. After he nods in agreement she looks up at us.

"Thank you." She only looks at Mr. Kol when she says it. 

"No problem." Mr. Kol tells her easily. Then, after some small talk, Mr. Kol closes the door and we're alone again.

"My brother Elijah is coming over to talk to me today. Something happened earlier this morning to Nik." He informs me, brown eyes locking with my light purple.

"Uh oh, what happened? Is Mr. Niklaus okay?" My eyes widen worriedly. Nothing too bad happened I hope.

"A witch put a strong curse on him."

"Silas?" I guessed. Ms. Rebekah was really mad about him.

"No, little darling. The Silas situation is over with. It was a different witch, maybe even more than one. I am not sure on the details. Elijah will explain when he gets here."

I hummed in the back of my throat and nodded to show that I understood. What kind of curse? A painful one? I hoped not.

Curses and magic and vampires! Being with Mr. Kol is always so exciting!


	13. Chapter 13

"I have to finish getting ready and _you_ need to get dressed." Mr. Kol told me as he put me down. I quickly kissed his cheek before he stood back up, getting a smile in return.

I got my suitcase down off the table and started looking through it. My eyes caught the perfect thing to wear. I got dressed in a tutu shaped like flower petals, some petals were green and others were royal purple. Next, I put on a plain green shirt the same shade as the green petals. I was a pretty flower!

I put the pajamas I had been wearing in the suite case and put the suit case on the table again. After that, I hopped on the bed by the wall and watched Mr. Kol style his hair. He was now wearing a tight red shirt. Today, if you count the day he picked me up, is the fourth day I've been with Mr. Kol. I miss Mommy, of course, but I hope I get to stay a few more days with him. I'm having fun with Mr. Kol and don't wanna go home just yet.

Every day is so interesting with him, my older vampire buddy.

All of my other friends have uncles who play with them, take them places, and even teach them cool things. I've been jealous because Mommy is an only child and I don't have a Daddy. Mommy said that she and Daddy only knew each other for a weekend. So, I never had an uncle. Mr. Kol is fun and he plays with me, teaches me cool things, and takes me places.

Maybe if I ask nicely  _he'll_ be my uncle. Hope flares inside of me. That would be the best thing ever! Everyone would be so jealous because I would have the BEST uncle EVER!

"Mr. Kol?" I asked, hopeful but nervous.

"Yes, little darling?" Mr. Kol turns to look at me. He's done with his hair now. It's prettily styled around his face. 

"I was wondering, maybe, if you might, ummm," I stuttered. He quirked a single eyebrow at me. "If you could be my uncle?"

"Your uncle?" Mr. Kol repeats in surprise. I nod my head eagerly. Can't he see how _amazing_ that would be? My light purple eyes were wide and hopeful.

He stared at me for another second before shrugging casually. "If you'd like for me to be then sure, why not?"

"Really?! You mean it?" I grin wide and bounce a little. He smirked at me and nodded his head 'yes'.

"YAY!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

I get off the bed and run to him at full speed. I slam into him and wrap my arm tightly around his waist. He said yes! I have an uncle now!  AWESOME! I heard him laugh and it made me look up. He was smiling with a cocky look on his face. As soon as he lifted me up and put me on his waist, there was a knock at the door.

Mr. Elijah?

"It's open." Uncle Kol says in a normal tone of voice, even though we were across the room.

The door opens and a man walks in. He has to be Mr. Elijah. He looks like Uncle Kol but 10 years older. Mr. Elijah looked 30-ish. He was wearing a nice suit. Did he just get back from a party? His brown hair was neatly slicked back and his brown eyes flickered between Uncle Kol and me.

He looked very calm when he said, "Rebekah told me you kidnapped a child. Honestly Kol, was that necessary?"

"I wasn't kidnapped!" I spoke up, offended on Uncle Kol's behalf. I'm with him because of a deal. Which isn't completely innocent, I guess, but I wasn't _kidnapped_. My Uncle Kol is good to me!

"My apologies." Mr. Elijah said glancing at Uncle Kol, who was smirking, before his brown eyes locked back on my face. Why doesn't he talk in the pretty way that Uncle Kol, Mr. Niklaus, and even Ms. Rebekah does? That was disappointing. "What is your name?"

"Melissa Flora Wattcan."

"Well, lovely Melissa." Mr. Elijah's smile was small, but charming, and I blushed a little. "How is my little brother treating you?"

"Uncle Kol is great to me. He's fun and nice."

"I am glad to hear that." Mr. Elijah looked from me to Uncle Kol and quirked an eyebrow questioningly. I guess about me calling him my uncle. In response, said uncle simply shrugged in a 'what can you do?' manner.

"Let's skip the chit chat, alright?" Uncle Kol said flatly. "Just tell me what you came to tell me and leave."

Mr. Elijah paused, I don't think he wants to say anything with me here, but Uncle Kol removed one hand from holding me so he could quickly gesture for him to get on with it. Then he put the hand back in its previous place.

"A curse of sorts was placed on Niklaus. More than one witch had to have done it, it is a strong one." He explained. "I am not sure who all did it, Rebekah will look into that. I had one of my trusted witches to look at him before I came over but it was too strong for her to undo. She said she would look into it, though. I don't trust anyone else to look at him in his vulnerable condition."

"Alright." Uncle Kol replied, his tone just as flat as before. "What's wrong with him?"

"All of his memories have been erased. He didn't even remember his own name. Furthermore, and I am not sure if they did this intentionally or if it was just a side effect, but he acts like a child. A rather drunken child at that. As amusing as the sight is Kol, the curse needs to be lifted."

"What do you want me to do about that exactly?" Uncle Kol sassed uncaringly.

"Take him somewhere safe. I have a house a few miles from here that would do. Watch over him while Rebekah searches for who did it. I will try to find a way to reverse this." 

"Why should I do that? What has he ever done for me? Except dagger me repeatedly and be a horrid brother?" My uncle scoffs. Dagger?! Isn't that like a knife? How awful and scary!

"Kol, he needs you. I know he is not the best brother. Honestly, at times he is the worst, but be better than him. Please Kol, just look after him. He is rather obedient really, he won't be a problem."

Uncle Kol just stared at his brother unblinkingly. Mr. Elijah sighs and runs both hands down the front of his suit.

"The way he is acting is quite a laugh Kol. You would have blackmail over Niklaus for ages to come."

"Now you're talking." Uncle Kol grins wickedly. "Alright, brother. I'll do it. Tell us where this house is and meet us there with him."

"Thank you Kol. I will show you on a map where exactly it is. The house and the land has protective spells around it. You all will be safe there."


	14. Chapter 14

Uncle Kol drove down a very, very long gravel driveway. It was surrounded by woods. When it cleared, I stretched in my booster seat to see more. I thought it was never going to end.

The yard was big. I see a beautiful pond I couldn't wait to swim in. The house is two stories high, light blue with white shutters, and dark blue shingles. There's a white porch wrapped half way around the house; it has a swing on it.

The sun was still in the cloudless sky. As soon as my uncle parked, I unbuckled and got out. I start to twirl around with my arms wide, flower petal tutu flying up.

"I suppose this isn't too bad." Mr. Kol glanced around causally. "Elijah better have stocked the house with food and blood."

"And movies and games." I stop my twirling to add.

"That too." He snickered, hands resting in his jean pockets. 

I'm really liking the look of this place. It's going to be so much fun being here, I can tell. I can't wait to meet Mr. Niklaus in person. It's gotta suck not remembering anything about anything. Mr. Elijah said he was acting like a child too, that should be fun. Maybe he'll play with me.

Kids play more than adults do.

"What does drunk mean?" I ask when I remember that's a word Mr. Elijah used to describe Mr. Niklaus.

"It's when someone drinks so much alcohol they behave silly." He explained as simply as he could. I nodded my head with an 'oh'.

"Can you tell me what I am now? Before they get here? I really wanna know and it's going to be  _forever_  until we're alone again."

Mr. Kol rolled his eyes. "I don't have time to explain it all now, little darling. There is too much to it."

"You don't have to explain it all, just a little bit. Just a name." I walk over to wrap my arms around him while I beg.

"Fine, fine." Uncle Kol agrees with another roll of his eyes. "I'll tell you a little bit. I won't go in to detail though. Not until this thing with Nik blows over."

A wide smile spreads across my face. YAY!

He picks me up and puts me on his hip. My legs dangle and my arms go around his neck. 

"You are a siren. When you turn 15, the siren in you will 'wake up', I guess you can call it, and you'll come into your power. It's called The Inheritance. Sirens are very powerful and just as rare. There is a lot more detail and information but not now."

A siren? Wow, neat. What can they do? What powers will I have? A lot more detail like what?

"All sirens have star marks?" I wonder in completely amazement. I am a siren… cool!

"We don't have time to go into all that. You wanted a little bit of information and you got it. All of the other details and such will wait. There is a lot to being a siren."

"Okay. Thank you for telling me!" I give him a big kiss on the cheek and tighten my grip around his neck.

His expression turns cocky again and he smirks widely at my attention. 

I think all about me being a siren and 'The inheritance' as Uncle Kol walks us all around the outside of the house. Lost in thought, I'm not sure how much time passed. Sometime later, Uncle Kol and I were in the front yard again. A nice black car with tented windows was pulling up. The passenger side door opened and a blur ran out. I gasped as the figure ran this way and that.

He was moving so fast I couldn't keep up. I craned my neck toward the house looking for him.

"Niklaus!" Mr. Elijah called sternly, standing three feet away. I didn't even realize he got out of the car. There was a loud laugh in reply. We all look to see him standing on the roof. "Get back down here now."

"Nope!" Mr. Niklaus called back with a giggly laugh. He was wearing black jeans, a long sleeve green shirt, and he was barefoot. A wide smile was on his bubble gum pink lips. I think he had dimples. I couldn't tell his eye color from here, but his hair was a dark blond. It was also short and almost curly. He looked older than Uncle Kol but younger than Mr. Elijah.

"Get down here, Niklaus." Mr. Elijah insisted, but was ignored again.

Mr. Niklaus started bouncing around the roof. He got quicker and quicker until I could only see a blur. I giggled as I watched him, entertained. Next he started singing prettily in a language I didn't know.

"So much for being 'rather obedient' Elijah." Uncle Kol said, sounding amused. I didn't look at his face to see if he looked it too. I was watching Mr. Niklaus on the roof as he sang and jumped around in a blur. He was being very loud. 

"I might have stretched the truth." Mr. Elijah agreed. His voice sounded like he found it funny AND annoying. "It's interesting how he remembers languages but nothing about himself or his past."

Uncle Kol let out a taunting laugh. "I hope Nik remembers this when the curse is lifted." 

"Play with me Elijah!" Mr. Niklaus calls, coming to a stop on the edge of the roof. He holds his arms out wide. I let out another giggle, smiling widely up at him. I wave and he waves back energetically, bouncing on his tippy-toes.

I liked him.

"Yes  _Elijah,_ " Uncle Kol purrs mockingly, "go  _play_ with him."

"I'm afraid it is time for me to go, Niklaus. You will have plenty of fun here with Kol and Melissa." Mr. Elijah rejects kindly.

The next thing I hear as I kept staring at Mr. Niklaus, is the sound of a car pulling away.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Klaus will be pretty OOC until the curse is lifted, but remember that's why he's behaving so unlike himself.

"Bye Elijah!" Mr. Niklaus exclaimed, waving both hands. "Bye."

"I want down." I say wiggling.

Uncle Kol put me on my feet. Mr. Niklaus jumps off the roof and flips in the air a few times, before landing right in front of us. He's smiling widely with his eyes on me. I can see his eye color now, it was blue. A pretty dark blue framed by short eyelashes.

"What's your name? I am Niklaus." He is swinging his arms around while he talks and bats his short lashes at me. His voice is really pretty, just like Uncle Kol's.

"I'm Melissa." I reply.

"Melissa, Lissa. Do you want to be my friend, Lissa?" He asked me and started bouncing on his tiptoes again. I've never been called Lissa before. I decided I liked my new nickname.

"Of course, Mr. Niklaus. I love making new friends." I smile so big it shows off all my teeth. Then I mimic him and start bouncing too. My long curly hair bounces with me.

"Mister?" He crinkled his nose in distaste "You don't have to add that at the beginning of my name. I don't like it, Lissa."

"Well, if you call me Lissa, I should give you a nickname too!" I gave single nod of my head with a serious look on my face. I notice Uncle Kol walk past us toward the house. "How about Nikki?" 

"Isn't that a  _girl_ name? I am a boy." He stops bouncing. So I did too.

"You're a man." I correct. "And it doesn't have to be a girl name. I like Nikki or Klausy, which one do you like?"

"Klausy is better."

"Come on in you two." Uncle Kol orders. We both turn to him and see that he is on the porch looking right back. "Me and Nik need blood and you, little darling, need to eat."

My stomach grumbles in response to his words and I nod my head, running to him obediently. I hop up the steps and grab Uncle Kol's hand. I notice Klausy didn't follow me. He was still standing in the yard.

"Come on Klausy." I wave my hand in a gesture for him to come here. He shakes his head no.

"I don't want blood. I want to play." He disagrees and starts doing cartwheels in the yard. 

I laugh. He is so silly! I guess that means the curse  _did_  make him drunk. Klausy stops his cartwheels to spin around instead. Faster and faster until he was a blur again. I could hear his pretty laughter.

"As fun as it is watching you make a fool of yourself, and it is, you need blood. After you drink some you can play. I can't have you getting hungry and hurting my Melissa." Uncle Kol's tone started out mocking and ended slightly threatening.

Hurt me? Klausy wouldn't hurt me. He is my new friend.

Uncle Kol is ignored and Klausy decides to jump on the roof. Uncle Kol disappears in a blink and then comes back just as fast. He gives me a banana that I immediately start eating. He walks in the yard, looking up at Klausy on the roof with a bag of blood in his left hand.

"Niklaus, I am not Elijah. I don't have the patience for your bullshit. Come drink the blood right this second." He orders sternly. The way he said it would've made me obey immediately. 

I walk into the yard too and look up. I see Klaus sit down on the edge of the roof, his bare feet dangling.

"I don't want it _._ I won't hurt Melissa. I'm not hungry." Klausy insists. Uncle Kol didn't like that response. I hear him let out an irritated breath.

"If you don't come down here, I will go up there. You won't like it if it comes to that." He warns. "I promise."

"I don't want it, Kol." Klausy pouted with pinched eyebrows. He shakes his head no again.

"I will shove it down your throat." Uncle Kol hisses. It was scary. "One more chance Nik, get down here."

My fingers crossed hopefully. Please get down.

When Klausy didn't move Uncle Kol jumped up onto the roof. I watched wide-eyed as Uncle Kol shoves Klausy off the roof. He lands on the ground with a  _thump_. I run to Klausy quickly to see if he was okay. That had to hurt! The roof was so high up!

"You're mean!" Klausy shouts as he sits up. I wrap my arms around my new friend to comfort him as his bottom lip wobbles. I glare at Uncle Kol. I can't believe he shoved him off of the roof!

"Damn right I am, now drink the fucking blood. If you hurt Melissa because of your stubbornness, I will be a hell of a lot meaner." Uncle Kol jumps off the roof and lands gracefully in front of us. He throws the blood on Klausy lap with a locked jaw.

Klausy snatches it up with a glare, but rips the bag open with his teeth anyway and sips at it slowly. Uncle Kol smirks and walks toward the house.

"I don't even like this kind." Klausy mutters quietly in between sips. Uncle Kol turns back to him with a raised eyebrow.

"What was that?" He asked harshly, putting a hand to his ear.

"Nothing." Klausy pouts, shaking his head. I run a hand through his soft blond hair.

"That's what I thought." Uncle Kol continues his walk toward the porch.

I stare at him while Klausy sips at his blood. My fingers run through his hair. I know Uncle Kol was worried Klausy would hurt me if he didn't drink, but he didn't have to push him off the roof. The house is tall, that really hurt him.

"We can swim after you're done Klausy. Would you like that?" I ask sweetly. He looks at me with a puppy expression and nods his head. "I bet swimming will make you feel better. Swimming is fun."

I notice for the first time that there's a big black suitcase under the swing. Uncle Kol was swinging slowly on it while he played on his phone. When did that get there? Did Uncle Kol do it while Klausy and I were talking?

"I'll have to change into my bathing suit. You will too, I'm sure Mr. Elijah packed you one." I tell him as he finishes up. "We can play pretend if you want. That's always fun."

"Okay. How do you play that?" Klausy tosses the empty blood bag to the side.

"We can be anything we want to be. There are no rules. Let's change first, okay?"

After I got my suitcase out of Uncle Kol's car, I brought it inside. When I walk in there was a living room to the left and stairs to the top floor on the right. The ceiling was high with a pretty chandelier on it.

I saw a door under the stairs and opened it. It turned out to be a bathroom. It only had a sink and a toilet. No shower. That's where I changed into my blue and green stripped bathing suit. It was a two piece that looked like a one piece, with pretty bows on the sides.

Klausy was already changed after I walked outside. He was wearing black basketball shorts and no top. He was sitting on the stairs ignoring Uncle Kol. Klausy turns to look at me with a wide smile, standing up. We walk around the house side-by-side.

"I like your bathing suit, Lissa." He compliments.

"Thanks. Have you thought about our game?" I look up at him.

"Yes, have you?"

"How about I can be Mommy and you can be Daddy?" I suggested. "We have three kids that we left with my mommy so we could go on vacation together. It's kind of like playing house."

"I like that idea better than mine." He agreed. We reached the pond now, so I sat on the edge of it. Klausy jumped right in though, making a big splash. When he popped up I clapped.

"Good job Daddy!" I say happily. "That was a big one! I'll jump in and you can see how big my splash is!"

"I think calling me Husband would be better, don't you? I'm not  _your_  daddy. I'm our children's daddy." He said, swimming around in a circle.

"Okay, that makes sense." I agree.

A second later, I jump in as far as I can. I feel the water spinning all around me as I sink. Then I quickly swim to the surface. It took a little longer since I didn't hit the bottom. I gasp for breath when I come up.

"You did great. Your splash was big too." Klausy congratulates. I grin and splash him right in the face. He grinned back and gave me a bigger splash.


	16. Chapter 16

" _Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,_ " Klausy and I sang in unison, smiles on our faces. My light purple eyes locked with his dark blue. We were sitting crisscross with our arms across our chest. Then we both pat our thighs and clap our hands. " _All dressed in black, black, black. With silver buttons, buttons, buttons all down her back, back, back_."

We clap our right palms together and then our left palms. As we sing the next verse, we clap both our palms together and then do it all over again.

" _She asked her mother, mother, mother for fifty cents, cents, cents. To see the elephants, elephants, elephants jump the fence, fence, fence. They jumped so high, high, high they reached the sky, sky, sky. And they didn't come back, back, back till the fourth of July, ly, ly_."

The sun is beginning to set. Directly above us and behind us the sky was blue, but in front of us the edges were purple, pink and orange. I laugh looking at Klausy's dimpled smile, enjoying our game. We were beside the pond after 3 hours of swimming and playing pretend. This was our second time doing Miss Mary Mack. I had to teach him how play that too but I don't mind. Klausy is fun to play with.

"Whoa, look at that Lissa!" He exclaims, pointing behind me. I turn and see a pretty fox walking out of the woods and heading straight toward us. "Is that normal for a fox?"

I shake my head no. My long curly hair is so wet it didn't bounce as much as it normally would have.

It didn't take the fox long to reach us. It stopped when it got close and dipped its head low in a bow, before walking the rest of the way to me. Then it snuggled into me and rubbed its head in my side like a kitty cat. He was so pretty!

"Aren't you just a cutie?" I giggle, running a hand gently down its back and through its soft fur. 

"I want to pet the fox too, Lissa." Klausy's voice insisted. In the next instant, he was crouched with his knees now touching mine. The quick movement startled the fox, who jerked away and out of my arms. Before it could run away I soothed its fear.

"It's alright." I cooed softly, the fox relaxed and move slightly closer. "No need to be afraid, little guy, he won't hurt you."

The fox seemed to believe me and snugged against me again. I looked up at Klausy and nodded my head. 

"I won't hurt you." Klausy agreed, nodding like I did. He reached out one hand and started petting the fox with me. It stayed there, letting us pet it for about 5 minutes. After that it went back to the woods. It stopped half way and turned back to look at me. Then it dipped its head low, saying goodbye, before continuing on its way back into the forest. 

"Your hair looks like blood when it's wet." Klausy blurted randomly. I blinked at him in surprise. "It looks like red roses when it's dry though."

"Thank you." I laughed in reply to his oddness. I'm not sure the first thing was a complement or not, but the second thing was sweet. 

"I like the color of blood." Klausy continues. I guess that means the first thing was a complement too. A really weird one.

"Your dimples are cute." I say. He complemented me so I complement him back.  "I wish I had dimples too."

"Thank you." Klausy ducked his head a little and smiled bashfully. My lips curved up to match and I stood up to brush myself off.

"Come on, let's go inside now. I want dinner." I hold my hand out expectantly. He takes it and we walk together back to the porch.

"What do you want for dinner, little darling?" Uncle Kol asked when we reached the porch. Was he listening to us the whole time? The way his eyes flickered to Klausy mockingly said yes. "We have pizza here I can pop into the oven."

"Pizza?" I repeat happily. "Awesome. I love pizza. It's pepperoni right?"

"Indeed it is." Uncle Kol smirked at me, his brown eyes warm. "Get a shower while I get the pizza ready. There is a bathroom with one directly on the left when you walk up the stairs."

I let go of Klausy's hand with a quick smile at him and ran past Uncle Kol into the house. I got my suitcase out of the bathroom under the stairs - it didn't have a shower - and head to the bathroom Uncle Kol told me about.

All clean and in my butterfly pajamas, I head back downstairs 20 minutes later. My pajamas pants were silky and the shirt was short-sleeved. As soon as I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see Klausy sitting on the far left of the couch watching a show that I don't know.

"What's this Klausy?" I asked, walking into the living room and climbing right in his lap. I snuggled close to get comfortable.

"It's called The Middle. It's about a family that's really funny. I think you will like it." He replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

To the right was a doorway that lead to the kitchen. Uncle Kol walked through it and sat on the right side of the couch. There was one cushion between us and him.

"Why don't you sit over here with me, little darling?" Kol asked nicely with a wave of his hand, gesturing to himself. I laid my head on Klausy's shoulder. 

"No thank you, Uncle Kol. I wanna sit with Klausy." I reply. Uncle Kol frowned and his eyes flickered to my friend. I couldn't tell what the look was that briefly crossed his face, but I know he didn't like what I said. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings.

"Sorry." I say quickly, just in case I did. Uncle Kol shrugged his shoulders, put his feet on the table in front of the couch, and looked at the TV.

"Don't be. I don't care either way." He said casually. I wasn't sure that was true, I didn't miss the look he shot Klausy when I turned my head back to the TV. I chose to ignore it though because I was confused. What did Klausy do wrong? He didn't even say anything.

We finished this episode and started on another. Klausy was right, I do like this show. All the characters were funny. Klausy and I laughed as the scene played out. The mom, Frankie, and the kids were at a stoplight and they looked at the car next to them. It turned out to be the dad, Mike. He was singing and dancing along to the radio. It was so funny because you would never think he'd do that! He was usually so... serious.

A loud  _beep_ came from the kitchen and my tummy rumbled. YES! The pizza was ready! Uncle Kol got up and headed to the kitchen. I gave Klausy a happy smile that he returned. It didn't take long for Uncle Kol to walk in with a plate in one hand and a bottle of flavored water in the other. He handed me the plate with a smirk and sat the bottled drink beside me. Yummy, it was grape.

"Thanks, Uncle Kol." I said happily. He winked a pretty brown eye at me.

"I want pizza too." Klausy complained as I started eating. Although my eyes went back to the TV screen, I couldn't help but pay attention to them too. I was worried this would start a fight.

"Your legs work, Nik. Get your own bloody pizza." Uncle Kol scoffed. I could see him relax back into the couch in the corner of my eye. He isn't still mad about me sitting with Klausy, right?

No, of course not, I decided. Why would he be?

I slid off of Klausy's lap so he could get up and get pizza. He stuck his tongue out at Uncle Kol as he left. I muffled a shocked gasp when Uncle Kol stuck his middle finger up at him in response. While Klausy was in the kitchen, Uncle Kol turned to me, crossed his eyes, crinkled his noses, and tilted his head ridiculously to the side. I laughed loudly and tried to mimic him. We continued making funny faces at each other until Klausy got back. My uncle was silly. 

Hours later I woke up with a start, frightened from my dream. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. I quickly scrambled out of bed and ran as fast as I could into the room next to mine. I climbed into the bed and shook the man laying there.

"What's wrong?" Uncle Kol slurred sleepily.

"I'm scared." I whimpered, sitting on my knees. Uncle Kol blinked his eyes heavily in response and sat up.

"Nightmare, my little one?" He asked softly. I flung myself in his arms and he hugged me tightly. 

"The bird man." I say weakly, blinking back tears. "He came back and I saw him…. I saw him…"

"Saw him what?" Uncle Kol's tone, hug, and strong arms made me feel safe again. Nothing could get me now. 

"I saw him come and try to take me away. He was so, _so_ scary and you were there and you tried to make him stop, but then he hurt you so, _so_ badly. It was  _scary._ I screamed for you but you couldn't move. I woke up before the bird man could do anything else." I explained with a shaky voice. Tears made my vision blurry and cheeks wet.

Uncle Kol started rocking me and singing softly, prettily, in a way that reminded me of Klausy earlier on the roof. Something about it sounded the same. During the song, my heart returned to normal and I got sleepy again.

"What was that?" I asked when Uncle Kol fell silent.

"An old lullaby from my human days." He replied. It was the last thing I heard before falling back asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

I sat up and rubbed my eyes with a yawn. Looking around, I noticed Uncle Kol wasn't here. I don't know what time it is, the room doesn't have a digital clock. Those are the only kind I know how to read. I get out the bed to search for my uncle. I didn't have to look far. Uncle Kol and Klausy were down the hall. How did I not hear Uncle Kol's laughter before now? It was so loud. Klausy didn't look nearly as amused. His pink face was glaring and he had his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Shut up, Kol!" Klausy shouted, with a stomp of his foot. His hair was dripping wet and the only thing he had on were sweatpants that were too long.

"I envy your grace, Nik, truly." My uncle snickered back, relaxing against the wall. His entire face lit up as he made fun of Klausy. He was wearing black pants and a dark blue t-shirt.

"It wasn't funny, Kol!" Klausy whined, his face grew even pinker.

"The hell it wasn't." Uncle Kol disagreed with a wicked smirk. "Thanks for that, I needed a good laugh."

"What happened?" I asked, looking between the two of them. Klausy crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head at me with a look that meant 'nothing.'

"Well, I heard a loud noise coming from the room Nik was in, so I went to see what all the ruckus was and..."

"Kol!" Klausy interrupted with another stomp of his sweatpants-covered foot. His voice went up a pitch. "Shut up!"

"Come now, Nik." Uncle Kol waved a single finger at him and Klausy pouted. "Interrupting is rude."

"Then what happened?" I asked impatiently.

"When I walked in Nik fell  _through_  the bathroom door and landed on the floor all tangled up in a half shredded shower curtain, completely starkers. It was a mess." Uncle Kol snickered to me, clearly enjoying himself. "He managed to trip in the shower and take the curtain with him. When he got to his feet he tripped again and fell through the door. The new Nik is a massive klutz apparently."

I laughed almost as loud as Uncle Kol did a minute ago. Klausy glared at both of us with his blushing face.

"I saw him take off the shower curtain before fumbling into those trousers. You didn't hear _any_ of that?" Uncle Kol asked with a tilt of his head.

"I am a deep sleeper." I shake my head no. I wish I could have seen it though. That's super funny!

Uncle Kol grinned. "Well, you missed a good show, it was quite the laugh. It sure did get my day started on a good note."

"It wasn't funny you guys." Klausy insisted embarrassedly and blurred past us to who knows where. 

"Don't go far." Uncle Kol called sternly. All the response he got was the slam of the front door. I wish I felt bad for laughing but it was too funny. Uncle Kol walked up to me and lifted me up, putting me on his hip.

"One day my teacher was reading Little Red Riding Hood. When it got to the part where the wolf gobbled up grandma, the girl beside me was so scared she fell out of her chair sideways." I told Uncle Kol with a giggle as we walked down the stairs. "It was funny."

"I bet it was." Uncle Kol agreed as we walked toward the kitchen. "Were you scared?"

"No way!" I exclaimed with shake of my head. Uncle Kol's lips curved into a smirk.  It didn't take us long to reach the kitchen. 

"What do you want to eat, little darling?" He asked as he sat me on the counter top. 

"Cereal and toast." I reply instantly, kicking my feet lightly. What we will do today? Will Uncle Kol play with us this time? I hope so. He's fun. 

"Coming right up." He winked at me and starting buzzing around the kitchen. I watched on, amazed at how FAST he was. 

"Where is Klausy? Can you hear him?" I asked after a minute. Uncle Kol sat a bowl of Lucky Charms beside me before answering.

"Where do you think?" He asked while he popped bread into the toaster. "He's on the roof again."

"I wonder why he likes being on the roof so much." I comment around a mouthful of cereal.

Uncle Kol simply shrugged at me and leaned back against the counter I was sitting on. After I finished my cereal and toast, I hopped off the counter to hurry outside. Uncle Kol didn't follow me.

"Come down Klausy!" I call up to him. He was flat on the roof and sat up when he heard my voice.

"I don't want to." Klausy pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"I won't laugh about it anymore. I just wanna play." I insist. Klausy sighed heavily and muttered a 'fine' before jumping off and landing in front of me.

"What do you want to play?" He asked, shuffling his feet and putting his hands deep in his pockets.

"I bet I can spin around longer than you without falling." I grinned.

Klausy smirked cockily, the look reminded me of Uncle Kol for a minute. "Bet you can't."  


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be getting to an actual plot-line soon. I promise. I just wanted to have enough time for Kol, Melissa, and now Klaus to have a little time together.

I collapsed on the ground, the whole world was spinning. I heard Klausy let out a victory laugh. Awe man, I thought for sure I would win. I see Klausy bounce around me. He was clapping his hands at the same time. 

"I won!" He yelled delightedly as he clapped and bounced around me. I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.

"Only 'cause I let you." I said. Klausy stopped. He crouched above me, balancing on his tippy toes.

"Nu uh." He disagreed with a shake of his head. His dimples flashed as he smiled.

"Yes huh." I totally could have won! 

"Nope." He disagrees again, popping the 'p'. "You just suck." 

I opened my mouth in an 'o' and let out a gasp. My face playfully insulted. I flew a hand to my chest to complete the look. Klausy's only response was to smirk at me. I got to my feet and Klausy shuffled back a few steps.

"I'll get you for that." I tell him as sternly as I can. 

"I'd like to see you try." He snorted, the next blink he was on the roof.

"That's not fair, Niklausy." I call up to him, he shrugged at me and stuck out his tongue.

Uncle Kol took us both by surprise when he tackled Klausy off the roof. He had Klausy pinned down and shot me wink. I laughed happily and clapped my hands. Klausy wiggled around madly but Uncle Kol's hold was firm.

"Well, what are you waiting for, little darling?" Uncle Kol asked expectantly. "Get him back."

I nodded my head and rushed over. Klausy was wiggling still around but he couldn't get free yet.

"Hey!" Klausy protested. "Let me up!"

"A little tip." Uncle Kol told me, ignoring Klausy. "Nik is quite ticklish in his neck."

"No I am not!" Klausy denied. I smiled widely and knelt by Klausy's head.

"How would you know?" I asked. He pouted at me.

I put my hand in his neck and tried to tickle him but it didn't work. I look at Uncle Kol, disappointed. Uncle Kol told me how to do it correctly. I tried again. This time, Klausy let out a loud giggle and tilted his head so my hand was trapped and I couldn't move it.

"I don't think so." Uncle Kol snickered. Then he shifted his hold, so he could pin Klausy down and hold his head still at the same time. Using his legs and every bit of his body. It looked difficult to keep Klausy down. I started tickling again. I was delighted at his giggly laughter and his flailing. I started laughing too.

"Stop! Stop!" Klausy shouted breathlessly as he laughed. I glance at Uncle Kol and he shook his head. At that moment though, Klausy finally managed to get the strength to buck Uncle Kol off of him. It startled me and I jerked backwards. Klausy sat up and wrapped an arm around his middle and took deep breaths, a large smile on his face.

"That was fun!" I beam at him. He chuckles at me and nods his head. His eyes flicker to Uncle Kol, who was in front of us again. Uncle Kol winked at Klausy and got a wider smile in return. 

"I told you I'd get you back." I said to Klausy as I wrap my arms around Uncle Kol's neck.

"You were only able to because you had help." Klausy sassed. Uncle Kol's eyes flicker between the two of us, watching our banter amusedly.

"So?" I shrug and Klausy rolls his dark blue eyes at me.

"Knock knock." Uncle Kol said unexpectedly. Klausy and I both look at him curiously.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Boo." He replies. I haven't heard this one before.

"Boo who?" I asked him, looking forward to his answer.

"There's no need to cry." He said with a playful pout. "It's just a joke."

"I like that one, Uncle Kol!" I tell him happily with a laugh. When I get home I am sooo telling it to Mommy. She always has the best jokes, now I'll have one just as good. 

"I thought you might." Uncle Kol kisses my cheek.

"I liked it too." Klausy agreed. I grinned at him.

"Well, I am glad." Uncle Kol said and reaches one hand to ruffle Klausy's hair affectionately. Klausy blinks in surprise and gives a bashful smile. 

I'm so glad they can get along. Fingers crossed it'll last. They fight too easily. 

Three hour later, all three of us were swimming in the pool. We started playing Marco Polo after I explained it. Klausy was swimming around with his eyes closed. I was on Uncle Kol's back and had a strong grip on his neck, my legs around his middle, while he swam in the opposite direction. Klausy didn't call Marco often though, because of his super hearing. He could hear where we were without waiting for us to call Polo. It turned out being more like regular chase instead. 

He did call Marco twice just for the heck of it. 

Klausy shot at us super quick in the water and almost got us. Luckily, Uncle Kol was quick too. We were at opposite sides again. I giggled into Uncle Kol's hair and Klausy swam at us again. Uncle Kol squeezed my leg and I held my breath. Just before Klausy got to us, we ducked and swam under him. We were across the pond in a blink.

I loved the speed! It was so fun! I'm glad Uncle Kol came out and started playing with us. We popped out of the water and watched as Klausy tilted his head for a second before shooting after us again. Uncle Kol swam quickly to left and tried to get past him. Klausy turned unexpectedly in the water and grabbed Uncle Kol's leg, bringing him to a jerky stop.

"I got you!" Klausy shouted happily, opening his eyes. I laughed and reached one closed hand to him to give him a fist bump. Klausy bumped his fist gently with mine.

"That was entertaining." Uncle Kol said and then we were out of the water. I wanted to be as fast as he was. "It's time for lunch now, I think."

"That sounds great." I said with a nod of my wet head. Uncle Kol wraps a towel around me. Klausy didn't get out of the water with us.

"That means you too, Nik." Uncle Kol said in warning. Klausy pouted but obeyed. I guess he didn't want a repeat of the last time he didn't listen when Uncle Kol told him to feed.


	19. Chapter 19

"Drink, Nik." Uncle Kol commanded as he knelt down, balancing on his toes. Klausy was sitting right under the TV. I was beside him. Mommy never let me sit this close to the TV at home.

"I am not hungry." Klausy rejected. My eyes went from the TV to Klausy and Uncle Kol at his words.

Uh oh, Uncle Kol isn't gonna like that.

"Niklaus." Uncle Kol growled in annoyance, brown eyes narrowing. He put the blood bag right in Klausy's lap. "I am not going through this again. I don't care if you  _think_  you're not hungry. Drink the fucking blood."

"Gooosh." Klausy sighed dramatically and picked the bag up with a roll of his eyes. Uncle Kol thumped him on this side of his head at his sass and went back to the kitchen. "Ouch! That hurt you meany!"

"I've been called worse." I heard my uncle say.

"Why don't you want to drink it? Is it nasty?" I asked Klausy, watching as he sipped on the blood. He looked away from the TV to meet my gaze and shook his head. "Why don't you want to drink it then? If it isn't nasty?"

"Just don't" He replied in-between sips with a shrug, turning back to the show.

"He doesn't want to drink it because he is a prick." Uncle Kol was back without me noticing him walk into the room. He handed over corndogs with ketchup on the plate.

Klausy ignored the comment, dark blue eyes glued to the TV.

"What's a prick?" I asked Uncle Kol.

"It's a curse word." He answered and walked over to the couch to spread out on it. "Come sit with me."

I hesitated before obeying. I wanted to sit up here with Klausy, close to the TV, but I don't mind sitting with Uncle Kol. Last time I chose to sit with Klausy instead, it hurt Uncle Kol's feelings. I didn’t want to do that this time. I snuggled up next to him and ate my corndogs in silence. They were really good. I would offer Uncle Kol one to be nice, but I was too hungry.

After we watched a few hours of TV, I got Klausy to play checkers with me. Uncle Kol played the winner. Which, sadly, turned out to be Klausy. I’m glad Uncle Kol beat Klausy. It was annoying when Klausy rubbed it in my face that he won.

After that we went outside. Just me and Klausy this time. He asked why I never took off my bracelet. It caused me look down where my star mark was hidden. I told him Uncle Kol gave it to me. That I like it too much to take it off. It  _was_  true, but I couldn't tell him the full truth, I pinky promised. Nobody can break a pinky promise.

We spent some time playing pretend while we were outside. Klausy was a dragon and I was the hero that had to slay him. We did that until the sun set and Uncle Kol told us to come inside. Uncle Kol told me to get a shower and brush my teeth. He said my breath smelt like 'arse'. Which was mean. My breath did NOT stink

When I was all clean, I kissed Klausy goodnight and asked Uncle Kol to sit with me until I fell asleep to keep nightmares from getting to me.

"Lissa." Klausy hissed and shook my shoulders. I blinked my eyes heavily and looked up at him. He had on a pair of black pajama pants and a tight white shirt.

"Is it morning already?" I asked groggily. Klausy shook his head and smiled widely.

"I found a secret room." He whispered happily. "Come explore with me. I haven't been inside it yet."

"Really?" I whispered back, sitting up.

He nodded his head and gestured for me to come on. I got out of bed and slipped on my grey bunny slippers. They matched the pajamas I had on tonight. They were grey with polka dots of every color of the rainbow.

"I'll show you." Klausy said, grabbing my hand. We walked down the stairs and, instead of turning into the living room, went the other way into the dining room. Together we walked past the dining room and he opened the closet door.

"That's not a secret." I whispered to him as we walked into the large closet.

"Follow me." He said, letting go of my hand. He pushed through coats hanging in the closet. I followed with a sigh. When we came to a wall, I sighed in annoyance _again_.

"Klausy." I whined. I want to go back to bed. This isn’t a cool secret room.

He ignores me and bends down. He puts hand in the corner and pushes up the carpet. To my surprise, there was a button-looking thing. When he pressed it, the wall slid open.

"Holy crap." I breathe and he shot me a smug look. This was like a spy movie!

I rush down the stairs that appeared and Klausy followed me. It was a spiral staircase and seemed to go down forever. The wall slid closed behind us. When we finally reached a room, Klausy reached over and searched for a light switch. The lights came on and my eyes widened in amazement.

"Wow. It's so pretty." I said. The room was super big.

The walls were white with paintings hanging on them. The ceiling had fancy design on it. Half way into the room there was a fancy archway. Before the archway, the room was set up like a living room but it didn't have a TV. A big couch was shaped really curvy. It had a pretty table in front of it. We walked further into the room toward the archway. On the other side, it was kind of like a library.

There were lots of tall bookshelves. Some had books but others had weirdly shaped objects. There was a table in the middle that had loads of stuff on it. Unlike the other side, which was neat and tidy, this side of the room was a mess.

Someone needs to clean this up.

"Wow Klausy, how did you find this place?" I asked. I looked to see my friend over by one of the bookshelves, touching everything. He turned to me with a smirk and shrugged a shoulder. Klausy looked proud of himself.

I walked to see what caught his attention. In his hand, there was a clear crystal in the shape of a ball. It was surrounded by gold in the shape of spikey vines. It was pretty even though it was weird looking too. I reached for it and Klausy easily gave me the weird thing. Wow was it heavy.

As soon as I held it, the crystal in the middle started to glow and shimmer.

"Woah!" Klausy exclaimed, bouncing on his tiptoes. "It didn't do that when I held it! That's so cool!"

"Yeah." I agreed, dazzled by the light.

Suddenly a strong wind whipped into the room. The crystal got brighter and brighter until it was blinding. Frightened now, I dropped it and Klausy hug me tightly. I got really dizzy and then it felt like I was falling. I wrapped my arms around Klausy just as tightly as he was holding onto me. My face was pressed into his stomach.

What was happening?!


	20. Chapter 20

I woke up to the sun on my face, feeling extremely dizzy. When I remembered what happened, I shot up and looked around. My ruby curls flew around with the movement. That weird thing put me in the middle of the woods! How am I going to get back to Uncle Kol now?! I have no idea where I am! Hopefully I'm close to the house. I looked beside me and was relieved to see Klausy there. As soon as I moved to wake him up something caught my eye. 

It was a piece to that weird thing that got us here! The small broken off strip of gold was the only part of it left. I picked it up and noticed it had writing on it. I couldn't read it very well because the words were too big, but Klausy could.

"Wake up!" I shouted, pushing him.

He didn't budge, so I shoved him again and again until he did.

"Lissa?" He mumbled in confusion. A second later his eyes shot open and he was on his knees. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. Read this." I give him the golden strip. His eyes flickered to the woods around us before he did.

"Alternant Universe." He read.

"What does that mean?" I asked, but he wasn't listening. He started to panic instead. It made me feel terrified. Whatever it is, it must be bad.

"We can't be in an Alternant Universe!" Klausy shouted with frightened eyes. His hands started to shake. "I barely even remember my own! What are we going to do?! I don't want to be here, Lissa! I want to be back at that house with Kol! How are we going to get home? What if we can't? What is in this universe? Where do we go?"

My lips wobbled at his words and tears filled my eyes. Klausy's eyes started to get watery too. He buried his face in his hands.

"I'm scared." I whimper and flung my arms around Klausy.

"Me too." He agreed, wrapping his arms around me. "I want Kol, Lissa. I won't even fuss about drinking the blood anymore. Maybe that's why we are here. Am I being punished?"

"I want Uncle Kol and my mommy and my nana." I cry into his shoulder. I wanna go home!

"I don't even know who my mommy and nana are!" He shrieked. "I don't know anything! I am a useless nothing."

We stayed there hugging each other for a long time. Tons of scared thoughts swirled in my head. It startled me when Klausy picked me up. My watery face looked at his.

"We gotta keep moving." The look on his face told me he was trying to be brave. I took a deep breath and nodded. "Staying here isn't going to do any good."

Before I could say anything, we were blurring through the forest crazy fast. I buried my face back into his neck. I'm glad Klausy is here with me. He is strong and fast and good company. At least I am not alone. At least I have my friend with me. I thought I'd never sleep, I never felt so much of _everything_ before. Eventually, I did fall asleep somehow. I woke up to the sun setting. We were beside a big pond. Much bigger than the one at the house.

I lifted my head from his shoulder. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," he said, "but we will stop here for the night." 

"Okay." I held back a yawn and noticed the huge pile of berries next to us. My belly rumbled.

"I picked those for you." Klausy explained.

I kissed his cheek to say thanks and quickly picked up a handful. They looked like tiny strawberries but tasted sour. I didn't care. I ate mouthful after mouthful. After I ate everything, I got off Klausy's lap and crawled over to the pond to drink some water. As soon as I was done I crawled back into his lap.

"Thank you." I snuggled deeper into his chest to get comfortable. He wrapped his arms around me.

Klausy rested his head on mine and said softly, "You're welcome, Lissa." 

"You know what?" I asked. When he shook his head I continued, "I could sing us a song. That might make us feel better."

"Okay." Klausy agreed.

"I'll sing a lullaby that my Nana sings to me sometimes."

" _Swing low, sweet chariot  
Comin' for to carry me home  
Swing low, sweet chariot  
Comin' for to carry me home _ _I looked over Jordan and what did I see  
Comin' for to carry me home  
A band of angels comin' after me  
Comin' for to carry me home _ _Swing low, sweet chariot  
Comin' for to carry me home  
Swing low, sweet chariot  
Comin' for to carry me home_.  _If you get to heaven before I do  
Comin' for to carry me home Tell all my friends I'm comin' there too  
Comin' for to carry me home _ _Swing low, sweet chariot  
Comin' for to carry me home  
Swing low, sweet chariot  
Comin' for to carry me home _ _I'm sometimes up and sometimes down  
Comin' for to carry me home  
But still I know I'm heavenly f_ _reedom_ _bound_  
_Comin' for to carry me home_ "

"That was beautiful." Klausy whispered when I stopped. "You're such an amazing singer."

"Thank you. I love to sing."

Am I a good singer because I am a siren? Maybe. I don't know anything about them. I wish Uncle Kol told me more. 

"That did help a little." Klausy said as he spread out on the ground with me still curled on his chest.

"You're my best friend, Klausy. I'm glad I have you with me." I kiss his chest and he pats me on the back softly.

I want my uncle. I want to go home. 

"I am glad I have you here with me too. You're the best friend a hybrid could have." He replied sleepily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will all be explained in further detail as we go on. Where they are, what that thing was, so please bear with me.


	21. Chapter 21

"What does Aldernant Uniherse mean?" I wonder as Klausy ran his hands in my curls to detangle them.

"Alternate Universe." Klausy corrected with a chuckle. It felt like he was braiding my hair now. "It means that we're in a different world. Sort of like ours but with changes."

"What changes?" I found it just as scary as I did cool. Klausy tugged a little too hard and I flinched.

"Sorry, best friend." He apologized. I giggled. It seems to just tickle Klausy pink that he can call me that. "And I don't know what changes. How would I know that?"

My temper flared to life suddenly. 

"How would I know that?" I mocked him, making my voice funny. He tugged hard on my hair and I got angrier. "You did that on purpose!"

"Did not!" He snapped. "I should have though because you were being mean!"

"You were mean first!" I tried to look at him but he forced my face straight. "Hey!"

"No looking. I'm not done." Klausy whined. I put my knees to my chin and wrapped my arms around them. A deep pout tugged on my lips and my eyebrows furrowed.

"Now I'm done." Klausy said and marched himself over to the big pond. He sat crisscross applesauce facing it.

I reached to pull the thick, long braid over my shoulder so I could see it. Wow! It was so pretty! He even put purple and white flowers all in it! Biting my lip, I tossed it back.

Guiltily, I shuffle towards my upset friend. When I sit next to him, I tug at my PJ's before looking at Klausy. He turned his face away. So I put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't wanna fight." I whisper, no longer angry. "We're all we have in the Aldernant Uniherse."

"Alternant Universe." He muttered, turning to face me.

"That's what I said." My light purple eyes searched his face. Are we good now? Is he still mad?

I squeezed his shoulder.

"I don't want to fight either." He smiled a little. A wide grin stretched across my face in response. He isn't mad anymore! Yay! 

I dropped my hands back to my knees. "I love my hair. It makes me look like a fairy princess."

He shrugged with a bashful look. "I don't know how I remember how to do that."

"Maybe you did it to Ms. Rebekah?" I suggest.

"Maybe." Klausy sighs, lifting me up into his arms. "Let's get going."

"Not too fast!" I blurt out. "I don't want to mess up my pretty braid." 

Klausy started going fast, but not vampire fast. It was regular running. I looked around this time. So many trees and bushes and flowers. Tall trees, small trees, and weird looking trees. The flowers I saw were mostly white or yellow. How did he find these purple ones?

My face lit up when something caught my eye. 

"Look! A bunny!" I called loudly, pointing at it. Klausy stopped and turned. It was staring at me and hopping in place. I waved happily at it. Klausy did too. After a second of looking at the pretty bunny, Klausy started running again.

"It was fat." Klausy giggled.

''It was not! It was beautiful." I frown, insulted.

"Yes but it was also fat."

Before I could scold him some more, Klausy froze and took a few quick steps backwards. He looked like he didn't know whether to run or not. His face changed and my jaw dropped. His eyes looked similar to Uncle Kol's, but instead of turning red and black, they were bright gold and black.

It was awesome. 

I twist to see whose coming and couldn't believe my eyes. A man appeared in a blink and he looked JUST like Uncle Kol. The only difference was his eyes were blue instead of brown. He was wearing tight red pants, a white short-sleeved shirt, a long red and black scarf, and knee high black boots.

"Hello there. It's alright, I mean no harm." He raised his hands up and looked at Klausy with a weird, wide-eyed expression. I look at Klausy to see him make his face go back normal. He watched me with a question in his eyes. I think he was asking if we should trust him and talk, or run. I shrugged a shoulder and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm Kael." The Uncle Kol look-a-like said with a smile. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off Klausy. My hybrid squinted at him distrustfully and didn't say anything. "I really won't hurt you. Come on, what's your name?"

"Niklaus." He muttered, eyes staying squinty. Mr. Kael looked taken by surprise.

"I'm Melissa." I give a small smile. He smiles back at me, finally moving his eyes from Klausy's face.

"Hello, Melissa. You're such an adorable little tot." His tone stayed friendly. I could tell my hybrid was warming up to it. 

"She's my best friend." Klausy stated proudly.

Mr. Kael put his hands on his hips, long fingers went through the belt loops of those red pants. "How would you and your best friend like to come home with me?" 

"Why do you want us to do that?" Klausy returned cautiously.

Mr. Kael continued to smile warmly. "If you don't have anything else to do, I'd love to get to know you both. A warm meal and maybe some blood. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great. Well, the food part." I put a hand on my hungry tummy. Klausy glances at me before looking back at Mr. Kael. He thought for a long minute.

"Alright, I guess." He finally agreed with a shy smile.

"Fantastic!" Mr. Kael smiled wider and gave a single clap of his hands. Which I just now noticed had nails painted black.


	22. Chapter 22

"I hope you don't mind," Mr. Kael told us as we went down a long dirt driveway. Rows and rows of trees were on either side of us, "my eldest brother Erik is staying with me along with my twin. Another brother of ours, Elijah, is supposed to be coming in tomorrow. You needn't worry though, you're safe here."

I don't think Uncle Kol has a twin and a brother Erik. Those must be the 'changes' that Klausy talked about. I wish Klausy remembered more so we can know for sure. As scary as being in a whole different world is, as much as I don't want to be in this Aldernant Uniherse, it is kind of cool. I wonder if the other me in this world has a sibling or something. Wouldn't that be cool? I have to think happy thoughts to keep from being too scared. I know we WILL get home. Klausy and I won't be here forever. When we get home, I'll tell Uncle Kol all about the cool things I did.

Thinking like that helps me feel better. It makes my heart less heavy. I probably won't be able to tell Mommy about all the magic. Can we tell Mr. Kael about us being from another Uniherse? Maybe we can tell the Uncle Kol of this world? Maybe the Uncle Kol from here can help us get back to our Uniherse. Those thoughts gave me hope. 

"Do you have a sister?" I asked when Klausy didn't say anything. Was Ms. Rebekah born here?

"No, I do not." He replied smoothly. Huh, I guess she wasn't. "Do you?"

"Nope. I'm an only child. I like being an only child though. I have Mommy and Nana and my new uncle all to myself, well mostly." I tell Mr. Kael. He watched me with a small crooked smile while I rambled. "I have kids at school to play with all week."

"My best friend is sleeping with me." Klausy said out of nowhere. I _would_ like to sleep with him. He makes me feel safe. We looked at him and he was giving Mr. Kael a glare. I tried not to giggle. Klausy seemed a second away from stomping his foot.

We were still walking down the driveway. Man, how long was it? Are we ever going to reach the house?

"Of course, Niklaus." Mr. Kael smiled, not at all offended with the expression and tone. "You are our guests. Whatever makes you both the most comfortable, is what we will do."

During the run here Mr. Kael kept glancing at Klausy. I finally figured out what the weird looks were. It looked like he missed him. The same look Mommy gives me or Nana when she hasn't seen us in a while. Did something happen to the Klausy of this place? Is he away on vacation for a long time? Like my Nana has been?

"Okay." Klausy agreed.

I decided I like Mr. Kael. Even if it _was_ weird seeing someone who looked JUST LIKE my Uncle Kol. It's a good thing his eyes were blue and not brown. How would I have told them apart when I saw the Uncle Kol from here, if his eyes were brown too? That would get annoying fast.

Finally a house came into view. My mouth fell open. It was sooo big! It had one, two, three, FOUR floors! Wow! Klausy and I are going to get lost in there! It was white and brown with so many windows. The big, brown porch seemed to wrap around the whole super big house.

"WOAH!" I said loudly in awe. "That's the biggest house I've ever seen!"

"I am glad you like it, little tot." Mr. Kael smiled at me.

He smiles nicely just as often as my Uncle Kol smirks. 

All the time. 

"How many brothers do you have?" I asked.

"I have 4 that are still alive." He answered. "Erik is the eldest. Then I have Elijah, my twin Kol, and Virgil. He is the youngest of us."

"Is Virgil the youngest of all of you? Even the siblings that are dead?" Klausy asked on our way up the porch steps.

"No." Mr. Kael said as he opened the door for us. 

The inside is so pretty! There's a fancy chandelier over our heads. The ceiling is super tall. There were two staircases that curved and came together at the top, where the second floor was. I only saw staircases like that on TV! On the left there was a living room. On the right was a fancy dining room. We walked in-between the staircases and it lead to the kitchen. It had a huge archway we had to walk under instead of a door.

"How many siblings are dead?" Klausy asked. 

"Two." Mr. Kael answered shortly. That must mean the Klausy of this world was dead. Awe. That's so sad. No wonder Mr. Kael missed him so much.

"Who was the youngest brother?" Klausy asked. Unlike the kitchen at the house we were staying at with Uncle Kol, this one didn't have a table in it. It was really fancy looking just like everything else I've seen so far. Man, they much be so rich.

"His name was Henrik. He was 11." Mr. Kael said in a flat tone. He didn't seem to like to talk about him. Just as quickly as his mood dimmed, it lightened up again and he pointed to a door behind us, right before a hallway. "You saw the dining room on the right when you walked in? Would you mind waiting there while I get your food and blood?"

Klausy walked over to the door and opened it. Sure enough, there was that fancy dining room we saw before. I looked past it and down the hallway. Wow, I can't wait to explore this whole place with Klausy.

"Where are Erik and Kol? Nobody else is home." Klausy asked.

Mr. Kael paused his blurring movements to look at us. Klausy can hear all the way up to the fourth floor? That's so awesome! Being a vampire must be so awesome. 

"No idea. Probably out having fun." Mr. Kael winked a pretty blue eye at us and he was a blur around the kitchen again. I guess he was done talking with us for now. 

Klausy walked us into the dining room and the door swung closed.


	23. Chapter 23

A big dark cabinet was directly to the left. The top was curved and it had many drawers on the bottom half of it. On the top half was a glass door. In it I could see many knickknacks that looked fragile. Klausy walked us around the large room. In the middle was a really nice, long wooden table. The wooden chairs around it were carved and very pretty.

"What do you wanna do Klausy?" I asked looking away from the table. His dark blue eyes went from the wine table rack in the corner to me.

"I want to go home," He replied immediately, "but since I can't do that, let's play."

"What do you want to play?"

Klausy jumps on the table and sits me on my feet. I looked up at him, puzzled. He smiled as he sat down and crisscrossed his legs. I mimicked him. 

"Let's play Miss Mary Mack." He decided after a minute and tapped his hands on his knees.

"I have a different version that is just as fun." I suggested with a happy smile. At Klausy's confused looked I continued. "It's called A sailor went to sea, sea, sea."

I taught him how to do it like my Mommy taught me:

1\. On A – we clap our own hands.  
2\. On Sai – we clap our right hands together.  
3\. On Lor – we clap our own hands.                 4. On Went – we clap our left hands together.  
5\. On To – we clap our own hands together.   6. On Sea, Sea Sea – we clap each other's hands together 3 times.

Then we repeat.

" _A sailor went to sea, sea, sea. To see what he could see, see, all that he could see, see, see. Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea._ " Klausy and I sang together as we did our claps. " _A sailor went to sea, sea, sea. To see what he could see, see, see. But all that he could see, see, see. Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea._ "

"I like Miss Mary Mack better but that was okay too." Klausy said with a little pout after we finished. 

"Fine." I snort and roll my eyes. Klausy can be silly sometimes. "We can do Miss Mary Mack now."

"Eat first." Mr. Kael came through the door. He had a plate of pizza rolls in one hand and a blood bag in the other.

"I love pizza rolls!" I announce happily. Mr. Kael winked and handed me the plate. I was pleasantly surprised that the pizza rolls weren't too hot. When Nana and Mommy make them I always have to wait and blow them off.

"Did you warm the blood up?" Klausy asked with a face that was almost a frown, but not quite.

"I did indeed." Mr. Kael assured.

"Good." Klausy said snootily. "Someone I know made me drink it all cold."

I grinned around a pizza roll and tried not to laugh. That had to have been Uncle Kol.

"Well,  _I_  won't make you drink it cold." Mr. Kael said, leaning against the table we were sitting on.

"You can't make me do anything." Klausy retorted sternly. "I am stronger than you."

"Klausy," I chastise and kick his knee, "don't be so rude. Mr. Kael has been nothing but nice to us."

Klausy huffed at me and ripped the blood bag open with his teeth. I've never seen Klausy drink a blood bag so fast. He was done in seconds. I can't talk though, I'm really scarfing down these pizza rolls. I let out a startled noise as Klausy quickly grabbed me and yanked me into his lap.

"Hey! I was eating!"

Klausy ignored me and he stood up straight on the table. He gave Mr. Kael a distrustful look and got a gesture of surrender in return.

"What's going on?" I whisper in Klausy's ear.

 _Someone is coming_ , Klausy mouthed to me. I was nervous and excited. I hoped it was the Uncle Kol of this world. Who would be called  _Mr._ Kol, I guess.

"Fear not." Mr. Kael tried to sooth us. It didn't work. Klausy shoot him a nasty look and I simply ignored him.

After a few tense moments of silence, a man walked through the front door. A man who  _wasn't_ Mr. Kol. He was really tall and really skinny. He had shaggy light blonde hair that fell to his ears and dark brown eyes. His face was pretty. I didn't know if he was 25 or around 40. He looked like he could be close to either. 

This had to be Mr. Erik.

"Who the hell are they?" He asked rudely with a hard look in his brown eyes. Mr. Erik stared Klausy in a meaner way than Mr. Kael was always doing. "What sort of trick is this?"

"Erik," Mr. Kael hissed in warning. He blurred over and grabbed his brother's arm, "be nice to our guests."

"Explain. Now." Mr. Erik demanded through clenched teeth and grabbed Mr. Kael's wrist.

My eyes widened in horror when I heard a loud _snap_. He broke his wrist! Holy Moly. I looked at Klausy and saw his eyes were already on my face. _It's not safe here_ , he mouthed subtly, _we're leaving._

I hesitated to agree. What about Mr. Kol? We need someone to help us get back home.  

"I found them roaming around the woods a few miles away. Niklaus here," Mr. Erik shot Klausy a mean look at this part and got a nasty glare in return, "was with his little friend and I invited them here. They don't seem to have anywhere else to go and are quite harmless. They can stay here for as long as they want without fear of you running them off." Mr. Kael's voice was causal until the last sentence and then his tone sharpened warningly.

Mr. Erik licked his teeth and laced his fingers together in front of himself tightly. He thought for a moment before coming to a decision.

"My apologies for my less than hospitable behavior." He said smoothly and Klausy squinted at him with a pouty frown. I don't think he was going to accept the apology. "Your appearance startled me, that's all. Rest assured I will be on my best behavior now."

"I bet that's not saying much." Klausy sassed. I thought Mr. Erik would get mad at Klausy's words but he seemed to find them a little funny. His eyes didn't seem so harsh anymore and a small smirk curved on his lips.

"So,  _Niklaus_  is it?" Mr. Erik asked and he took a step toward us. He was watching my hybrid closely. "Where are you two from?"

Klausy's only reply was to tilt his head up with a stubborn expression and lock his jaw.

"Far away from here." I said when Klausy remained silent. Mr. Erik quirked an eyebrow at me and took another step. "I'm Melissa."

"Hello, Melissa." Mr. Eric smirked. It didn't look like the playful one my uncle liked to give me. "How long have you and Niklaus known each other?"

"A few days." I ignore the look Klausy sent me, telling me to stop talking. "We're best friends."

"Lovely." He drawled. 

"Mr. Kael said he had a twin. When will he get here?" I couldn't help but ask. Sadly, all Mr. Erik did was shrug a shoulder.

"Everyone can relax now." Mr. Kael cut in. "Finish your food, little tot."


	24. Chapter 24

Klausy and I spent a few hours watching TV, telling jokes, and playing little made up games. I haven't seen Mr. Erik since he showed up. He went upstairs somewhere. I don't know what floor he's on, I didn't ask. Mr. Kael has been in here with us for the most part. None of the other siblings of this world have shown up yet. I'm really itching for Mr. Kol to get here. Where is he?

"There isn't anything good on TV anymore." Klausy pouted beside me. "What game can we play now?"

I looked around at the big living room. There were paintings on the walls, a nice looking vase on a glass table against one wall, and the wall to the left of us had a huge widow with curtains that were pulled closed, hiding the porch and front yard from view. To the right of the couch we sat on had a archway leading to a hallway. Behind us you could see the front door and room we were eating in earlier.

There was a couch, two recliners, a long table in front of the couch, and an ottoman. A grin spread across my face as I thought of the perfect game.

"Let's pull the chairs and stuff further apart." I ordered Klausy and shooed Mr. Kael off of one of the leather recliners. He obeyed with a smirk. When he stood up he spread his arms out wide and did a little bow. Not only did he look like Uncle Kol, but he even acted similar.

"Why?" Klausy asked as he quickly zoomed around and pushed the recliners, the table, and the ottoman a little further apart. I giggled and climbed onto the table.

"We're playing pretend." I tell him. Klausy's blue eyes lit up. He hops onto a recliner with a dimpled smile. "The floor is lava, you have to get around without touching it."

Mr. Kael snickers as we start bouncing from one piece of furniture to the next. While it was fun, it was also not fair, because for Klausy it was a lot easier than it was for me. Not that it was really hard anyway - he didn't push them too far apart - but Klausy can jump up to the roof! Luckily we are not playing to win because he would be cheating.

"Watch me, Lissa." Klausy ordered when I landed on the couch. I pushed my ruby curls out of my face and looked at him. I let out a happy laugh and clapped when he jumped so high he reached the tall ceiling and grabbed the chandelier. Klausy swung a little and kicked his feet before letting go and landing on the table.

"I wanna do that too!" I demanded, standing up. "Put me on the chandelier, Klausy!"

"You sure?" He grinned, bouncing on his tippy toes. "It's high up. I don't want you to get scared."

"I'm not scared of being high up." I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I love it!"

"Alright. If you say so."

Then he picked me up and wind swirled around us. A second later we were hanging. Everything looked really awesome from up here.

"Catch me." I ordered before letting go of him. I spun around as I fell. It didn't take long to feel arms wrap around me. We hit the couch together and bounced a few times. I couldn't stop laughing.

"Again! Again!" I giggled.

We did that a few more times before Mr. Kael showed us which room we would be staying the night in. It was on the second floor. Our room had a bathroom attached, just like my bedroom at home with Mommy.

"I can find something for Nik to wear and I can get you a t-shirt for bed, little tot. Tomorrow when you wake up both of you will have fresh clothes to change into. Kol will be fetching them for you."

I perked up at that. Mr. Kol will here in the morning? YES! I shot Klausy a happy smile when Mr. Kael left the room to get us night clothes. _Mr. Kol_ , I mouthed excitedly, _he can help us._

 _I hope so._ Klausy mouthed and reached into his pocket. He got the little golden piece and put it under his pillow on the bed. It was the only piece left of the weird thing that brought us here. It was smart of Klausy to keep holding onto it.

Mr. Kael returned quickly and gave us clean PJ's, a hair brush, wished us a goodnight, and left. I took a shower first and brushed my hair on the bed while Klausy took one. I was already snuggled into the covers when Klausy walked out wearing nothing but blue silky pants. He dried his hair with a towel and tossed it in a random direction.

Klausy turned off the lights and zipped into the bed with me. I slid over and put my head on his flat chest.

"Goodnight, Klausy." I yawned.

"Sweet dreams, Lissa." He whispered in that pretty way I wished I spoke in. It was funny and cute that it sounded more like 'Lisser' than 'Lissa'.

Everything was blurry for a moment and then I was standing in a huge field with flowers of every color. While it _was_ pretty, I didn't care about that. I was scared.

I looked around and noticed the forest surrounding the big field. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. Was something going to come out of there?

"Klausy?" I shouted pleadingly. What happened? Was it that little golden piece's fault? Where am I?

"Melissa?" I heard a familiar voice shout in relief. I spun around and saw Uncle Kol in the distance. A wide happy grin spread across my face and I started toward him. In a blink, he was across the field and lifting me up.

"Bloody hell. I was afraid it wouldn't work!" He spun me around. I clung to him tightly and could feel tears start to build in my eyes.

"I was so scared. Are you here to take me back? Klausy too?" I whispered into his ear. My arms were around his neck and my legs around his middle.

"I wish I was, my little one." Uncle Kol whispered back. He stopped spinning and now was just gently swaying. "You wouldn't believe how frightened I was. It shocked even myself."

"How are you here?"

"I am in your dreams with a little help of witch magic. When Nik falls asleep he should appear too. I hope it's soon because I only have so much time."

"Don't leave." I plead, tears falling down my cheeks at his words. "I don't want you to go."

"I wouldn't if I had the choice." He assured me. "Are you somewhere safe?"

"Yeah." I replied. I can't bring myself to say anything else, even though I have so much to tell him about the place we're in.

I just hold him tightly, glad he is here.

"Kol? Lissa?" Klausy asked in confusion. Uncle Kol turns to look and I pull my face from against him so I can too.

"Nik," Kol smirked, "glad to see you're alright, brother."

Klausy lit up with a grin and blurred close to us.

"Kol!" Klausy said again, happier this time. "You're here!"

"I am indeed and I don't have much time, so listen closely." Uncle Kol ordered sternly. Both Klausy and I nod in agreement. "What year are you in?"

"I am not sure. It seems like the same year to me." Klausy shrugged.

"2014." I spoke up instantly.

"You got lucky. Seeing as you were sent to a random year, world, and place on earth. That was a wild and dangerous piece of magic you two were fucking with." Uncle Kol scolded angrily before forcing his tone calm again. "I hope you have something left of object that brought you there. You'll need it. You need to find that same object in the world you're in now. Make sure Melissa is holding the left over piece, and make sure you have a good grip on her Nik, before she touches the, let's call it a 'Crystal' to be simple. When you do that you will be sent to your home world but you'll be in whatever year it was in the alternate one. Hopefully you won't have to worry about that though."

"What will happen if we are a few years off?" Klausy asked. "How will we get back to the right year?"

"Simple. You will just wait for an unknown amount of time and be sent there automatically. You will be sent to the same year, moment, and location that you left. It will be like nothing ever happened."

"We won't remember?" I asked. That sucks.

"You and Nik will remember, but nobody else in our world will. Whoever you interact with over there is going to remember, however."

"What happens if we change something important? If we aren't in the same year? Will that smooth over like it never happened?" Klausy wondered.

"Whatever you change will set a different course. Think of it like creating a new alternate world. Then you will be home safe and sound, nothing any different."

"You don't know how long we will be in the wrong time?" Klausy asked.

I'm glad he knows all the questions to ask. This is all too much for me. 

"Afraid not, but hopefully you won't have to worry about that. Just focus on finding the other Crystal and have a piece from the one that got you there. Be extra careful and be cautious of who you trust. You both need to come back safe and sound." Uncle Kol told us and squeezed my leg gently.

"We will." I promised. I hope I'm right. I  _need_  to be right. "We'll find it and be home soon. What happened when we disappeared?"

"After I woke up, I looked all around the woods for you both. When I couldn't find you I called Elijah. He came over rather quickly and immediately went to that secret room under the house that I didn't know was there. When he noticed what was missing he explained what it was, what it did, and what happened to you. Next we….."

Everything blurred and I couldn't hear him anymore. A moment later, I shot up in bed with a gasp. I looked beside me to see Klausy awake and breathing deeply. We looked at each other with wide eyes. That was so much to remember, I'm glad Klausy was there too.

A knock at the door caused me to almost jump out of my skin.

"I didn't mean to frighten you." Mr. Kael apologized, walking into the room. He was wearing red pajama bottoms and a white tank top. "I trust you slept well. I brought you some clothes. Come down for breakfast whenever you are ready."

"I know this is going to sound silly," I started when he sat a bag on the vanity beside the door, "but what year is it?"

"2002." He replied with one eyebrow raised. "March 2nd to be exact."


	25. Chapter 25

"Really, brother." Mr. Kol's voice said mockingly. I lit up and sent Klausy a beaming smile when I heard him. We were walking in-between the staircase that is split into two, heading for the kitchen. I am sitting on Klausy's hip and my arms are around his neck. "You couldn't manage to get the simple spell from the bint? You're losing your touch."

"Easy for you to say." I heard a younger voice cut in harshly. "You're here, not being the slightest bit helpful! Screwing whores, draining bodies, and having a dandy ole time! How about you get off your lazy arse and do something productive, hmmm?"

"Virgil." Mr. Kael scolded playfully. We just got to the doorway and paused there. Everyone was in view now. I could see the amused and taunting look on his face. He waved a single finger at his little brother. "There are little ears present. Honestly, don't be such a savage."

"Oh  _I'm_ the savage, am I? Lovely to meet you pot. My name is kettle." The boy snorted. He looked like he was 14 years old and was leaning against the doorway a few feet to the right. His curly light blond hair fell into his face and he rolled his blue eyes.

" _One_  page from  _one_  simple spell book is all we needed." Mr. Kol insisted from the doorway to the left, Mr. Kael was standing near him by the fridge. Other than glancing briefly none of them really paid us much attention so far. "What are we to do now? That was the only grimoire it was in!"

"You go get it then if it's so simple! Perhaps, if you actually offered up some real assistance instead of sitting on your high horse pointing out my wrong doings, we would get something accomplished!" Virgil spat at his older brother.

"Do you need me to hold your hand every step of the way? Poor little Virgil the babe." Mr. Kol sneered at him with a mocking glint in his brown eyes. 

"I am in no mood for you!" Virgil snarled. "Suck my cock,  _brother_." 

Then Virgil was gone in a blink and I heard a series of slamming come from upstairs. I haven't gotten used to people swearing and talking like that in front of me yet. It's annoying how people back home like Mommy, the teachers, and other adults think that I don't know when they are lying or hiding something. They stop talking when I enter the room or talk to me like I'm dumb. 

Sometimes, they pretend like everything is fine around me when I can tell they were fighting just a second ago. When I ask, they make up excuses. Adults always lie to me. I am 5, almost 6, but that doesn't mean I don't have eyes or ears. I'm not dumb. Nana tells me I'm actually smarter other 5 year olds. She never treats me like I don't know anything or like I'm just a silly little girl.

I love my Nana. She's the best. Mommy knows I'm smart too but she still doesn't tell me the truth all the time. She hides things from me. She doesn't do it to be mean, but I still don't like it.

"Always so dramatic." Mr. Kol sighed. Mr. Kael let out a bark of laughter at his comment.

"Aren't we all?" He asked his twin with a crooked smile.

"Touché." Mr. Kol snickered. "It certainly is a family trait, isn't it?"

"Can we eat now?" Klausy snapped in annoyance. "Or should we come back later?"

"Of course you can." Mr. Kael spoke up while Mr. Kol sent Klausy an amused quirk of his lips at his snippiness. "What would you like?"

"Waffles!" I spoke up eagerly.

"Waffles it is." He agreed.

"And bacon?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, and bacon too." Mr. Kael nodded, the smile on his face growing.

"Why don't you and Nik come with me while we wait?" Mr. Kol asked, but I had a feeling it was more of an order.

"Go where?" Klausy asked before I could.

"Outside. It's getting rather stuffy in here. Don't you agree?"

Outside in the front yard I was jumping around as I spun in circles. The knee-length deep blue tutu I'm wearing is flying up around me. I also wore black slip-on shoes that matched my short-sleeved top. I'm glad Mr. Kael gave me thin black shorts to go under my tutu. I'm a lady and we're not supposed to flash our underwear when we play. Mommy and Nana say so. 

"Tag." I heard Klausy say, and I came to a stop so I could watch. Klausy tapped Mr. Kol on the shoulder and was looking at him hopefully. "You're it."

When Klausy left in a blur, Mr. Kol paused for only a moment before deciding to play the game with him. They were moving too fast for my eyes to keep up. I think I saw something by the porch. Or maybe they're in the woods? Mr. Kol is the only one Klausy was instantly nice to here. He was snippy with Mr. Erik and Mr. Kael. I think it's because he trusts Mr. Kol, even if he wasn't  _our_  Kol. We're going to need help getting the Crystal.

Maybe Mr. Kol will help us?

"Bloody hell you're fast!" Mr. Kol said impressed a few minutes later, coming to a stop near the steps of the porch. "How in the hell are you faster than me?"

"Thank you." Klausy replied, puffing his chest out proudly as he bounced on the toes of white and red tennis shoes. "I'm a hybrid."

I wonder if he told him that on purpose or if it just slipped out because he liked Mr. Kol. He wouldn't have told the other brothers here that.

Of course, if you think about it he just did. They can hear him inside. Vampire hearing is the coolest. 

"Of what?" Mr. Kol teased. "The flash and a jack rabbit?"

I giggled at his funny joke and he sent me a cocky wink at the sound. Klausy didn't answer his question, only shrugged as he bounced and gave him a dimpled smile.

"I wanna sit on your lap." I told Mr. Kol in a matter-of-fact way after we ate breakfast. We were back outside and Mr. Kol was sitting on the swing on the porch. He opened his arms welcomingly. His expression was a mix of cocky and amused.

"I'd never deny a request like that from a pretty little thing." He told me as I climbed up. One of his arms were stretched out on the back of the swing, the other one went around me when I sat down. "Tell me, little Melissa, how did you and Nik meet?"

"I was visiting with my uncle." I told him. Klausy was currently sitting crisscross on the porch not far from the swing. Mr. Kael gave him a Gameboy after breakfast and he was really enjoying it. "My uncle's brother came over with Klausy and dropped him off. We went exploring and got lost. That's when Mr. Kael showed up."

"That so?" He replied casually and tilted his head a little bit as he eyed me. "I bet your uncle is looking for you both. Do you or Nik know his number? Perhaps we can give him a call, sooth his worries." 

I thought quickly and tried to think of a lie. I didn't want to tell him what happened to us without Klausy agreeing. I didn't want everyone else hearing it too. Uncle Kol told us to be careful. He wouldn't want a lot of people knowing.

"He doesn't have a phone." Klausy spoke up. We both looked over but he was still playing his game.

"Yeah." I agreed. My deep red curls bounced with my nod. "He's really far away too. So we don't know how to find him."

"Email? Social media?" Mr. Kol suggested, flickering his eyes from me to Klausy and back again. 

"He doesn't have social media and we don't know his email." Klausy said easily. I nodded in agreement. 

"Interesting." Mr. Kol replied simply. 

My heart stuttered nervously, I could feel it. Does he know we're lying? Surely not right? I thought our lies were really good. But my Uncle Kol is really smart and I'm sure this one is too. 

"What is his name?" Mr. Kael's voice cut in, tone friendly. He was walking through the front door and closed it gently behind himself. "Where were you two when you last saw him? We could help you find him."

"It would be no problem at all." Mr. Kol added sweetly. "We want you both safe and happy."

"Thank you." I told him.

"Tyler Robbin." Klausy said, picking randomly. "He has mismatched eyes, one green and the other blue. He is bald with loads of tattoos."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at his clever but funny lie.

"In a town called Raven." I lied next. I think Klausy is better at making up random lies than I am.

"Never heard of it." Mr. Kol said.

Does he believe me?

"There is not a town with that name around here." Mr. Kael added. 

"It's a really small town." Klausy finally looked up from his game. "We got really lost. I don't know how we got so far away from home."

"Well, we will do our best to find him and get you both home." Uncle Kol responded before changing to subject. "What score did you get Nik? Bet I can beat it."

"Bet you can't." Klausy taunted him with a dimpled smile and tossed the Gameboy. Mr. Kol caught it easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You catch more flies with honey instead of vinegar. ;-)
> 
> The Mikaelson's are manipulative in any world, huh? Do you think they will get the information they are trying to sniff out?


	26. Chapter 26

"Those are the biggest CD's I've ever seen!" I exclaimed amazed, looking into the drawer. "Come here, Klausy! Look at these _huge_  CD's!"

"Wow." Klausy agreed. "Why are they so big?"  

"I don't know." I shrugged with a grin. "I wanna see the CD player for them though! How would you even carry it around?"

"It's called a record." Virgil's voice surprised me. I haven't seen him since before breakfast. We both turned to see him walk into the room Klausy and I were exploring. It was in the back of the first floor. We went through the kitchen and wove in and out of different hallways. The hallways in this house are so wide and every room is super fancy. "I have no idea where the record player is." 

"You're not angry anymore." I noticed happily. "Did you pitch a fit upstairs? I do that sometimes too."

"I did a little bit." He replied, amused. "So how are you liking it here?"

"It's great." I beamed. "And don't worry. I am sure you'll get your magic book. Did someone steal it?"

"Something like that." Virgil's blue eyes shift to Klausy. "Hybrid, huh?"

"Yeah." Klausy said cautiously, squinting his own blue eyes slightly. "What of it?"

"Curious is all. Do you really have two sets of fangs?"

"He does." I nod eagerly. "It's really cool too."

"Lissa." Klausy scolds with a pouty glare.

"You already showed them to Mr. Kael." You could hear the 'duh' in my voice. "It's not a secret."

Klausy huffed childishly. "So?"

"Ignore him." I roll my eyes at Virgil. "He can be such a grouch."

"I am not!" Klausy denies but I ignore him.

"His eyes are a bright gold instead of red." I continue. "It's really pretty."

"May I see?" Virgil eyed Klausy's face in interest. 

"No you may not." Klausy shakes his head. His voice is matter-of-fact now, not snippy. 

"Perhaps another time then. I actually came to tell you my brother Elijah will be getting here soon. He's very much looking forward to meeting you both." 

"Alright." "Okay." Klausy and I spoke at the same time.

I like Mr. Elijah. I haven't seen much of him but he seems really nice. Except for when he thought Uncle Kol kidnapped me. I didn't like that at all.

Klausy and I have been looking for the Crystal in different rooms and hall closets. Mr. Kael and the others didn't seem to mind our exploring. Klausy and I haven't checked upstairs for the Crystal yet. The house is BIG, it's going to take forever to search everywhere! What if it's in a secret room and we never find the secret room? What if it's not even in the house at all?

I think we need to get Mr. Kol alone where the other brothers can't hear and tell him the truth. He said he wanted to help, maybe _he_ can find the Crystal?

"Faster! Faster!" I order Klausy a few minutes later as I giggle.

I clap delightedly when he obeys. He was whistling a cheery tune as he spun. I don't know how to whistle, maybe my best friend will teach me?

We were in the living room now. We decided to take a break from our exploring and searching. When we got in here I told Klausy I wanted to see how fast he can spin. He even started moving around the room as he spun! Both of us ignored the things that knocked over and how the curtains whipped around. He was creating a lot of wind.

Neither one of us paid much attention to the siblings standing outside the living room watching us. But, I did notice that Mr. Erik isn't upstairs anymore and is standing there too. 

I never met the real Mr. Niklaus, I mused as I watched the spinning. I only spoke to him on the phone once and Uncle Kol got really mad at me for doing it. By the time I met him, he was already Klausy. The 'drunk child' is what Mr. Elijah called him. I guess Klausy acts really different now that he doesn't remember anything. I guess that's why the siblings here always like to stare at him. That and because the Mr. Niklaus of here is dead.

Mommy told me what dead means. It means the person leaves us and lives in the clouds. Everyone does it eventually. We had a dog named Joey and he died last year. Mommy had Joey for 10 whole years.

" _Hush-a-bye, don't you cry. Go to sleepy little baby. When you wake, you'll have cake. And all the pretty little horses_." I sang, hopping up from the recliner to dance. I love to sing and dance! I heard this song for the first time when Nana sang it to me in the car last summer. " _Black and bay, dapple and grey. Coach and six little horses. Hush-a-bye, don't you cry. Go to sleepy little baby. Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, Go to sleepy little baby_."

"I want to dance, Lissa!" Klausy demanded and stopped spinning. I paused and quit singing to listen to him. "Dance with me!"

"Okay!" I grin widely and skip over to him. "I can stand on your toes! That's how I dance with Mommy and Nana sometimes." 

Klausy bounced us around the room at a normal pace. I wiggled around as he did it and laugh, dancing on his toes as best as I could. His hands were much bigger than mine and they swallowed my little hands up.

" _When you wake, you'll have cake. And all the pretty little horses. Way down yonder, down in the meadow. There's a poor wee little lamby. The bees and the butterflies pickin' at its eyes. The poor wee thing cried for her mammy_." I continued singing the song through my laughter. He made sure to bounce around the stuff he knocked over earlier so we wouldn't trip. " _Hush-a-bye, don't you cry. Go to sleepy little baby. When you wake, you'll have cake. And all the pretty little horses_."

"I like hearing you sing, Lissa." Klausy complemented, coming to a stop, and fluttered his eyelashes a little bit. Klausy can be so sweet.  "Will you sing another?" 

"Thank you." I blushed. "A lot of people say I sing pretty. I'm glad you think so too. If I sing another song will you walk me around the room?" 

"Walk you around the room?" He repeated, confused. "Sure, I guess."

"You have to do it on your hands and knees." I say sternly, letting go of his hands and stepping off his toes. "Okay? You'll be my horsey."

"Okay!" Klausy agreed with a dimpled smile. "It's kind of like playing pretend, huh? That's always fun. Remember when I was the dragon and you had to slay me? I liked that one."

"I liked that one too." I grinned back, watching him get on his hands and knees. Then I climbed on his back with my legs dangling on either side of him. When my hands were pressed flat against his back he started to crawl. "Getty up horsey!"

"Sing, Lissa." Klausy demanded. "You promised."

"Oh, yeah." I nodded. Oops, I already forgot. I drummed my hands against his back as I thought of something to sing. 

"Lissa." Klausy complained as he crawled, when I still wasn't singing.

"I was trying to think of something." I complained back. "Give me a second."

"Fine." I could hear the pout in his voice and rolled my light purple eyes.

"I got it!" I announced after another second of thinking and started to sing The Lion Sleeps Tonight. " _A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh_ _ **.**_ _A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh_ _ **.**_ _A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight. In the jungle_ _ **,**_ _the quiet jungle_ _ **,**_ _the lion sleeps tonight._   _A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh_ _ **.**_ _A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh. Near the village_ _ **.**_ _The peaceful village_ _ **.**_ _The lion sleeps tonight. Near the village_ _ **.**_ _The quiet village_ _ **.**_ _The lion sleeps tonight."_

I cut myself off with a happy squeal when Klausy shook and playfully tried to throw me off. I curled my hands into fists in the dark green shirt he had on. I jerked around but I didn't fall off.

"Nikki!" I playfully scolded, calling him that name because I knew he didn't like it.

Faster than I could think, he grabbed me off of his back and threw me into a recliner. I bounced off and was going to hit the floor but Klausy caught me quickly. All of that happened in less than a minute. Klausy's hands were at my sides and he lifted me up so we were eye level.

I kicked my dangling feet at him. "What was that for? I almost died!"

"You didn't almost die." Klausy scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous and don't call me that name! You know I don't like it! It's a girly name. I am  _not_ a girl."

"You almost killed me!" I snapped back, faking my anger to see if I could get an apology.

"I did not!" He insisted. "You weren't even a little bit hurt."

"I could have been."

"Nuh-uh." He disagreed, shaking his head.

"You should say sorry."

"I'm not saying sorry!" Klausy argued in outrage. "I didn't do anything wrong.  _You_ say sorry!"

"What for?" I continue to pretend to be mad. I could feel the laughter in my belly and fought a smile.  He believes me! Look, he's getting all worked up and everything! How funny!

"For calling me a girly name. I am a  _boy,_  Lissa!"

"You're a  _man_ , dummy!" 

"I'm not dumb! Don't call me names or I'll start calling  _you_  names."

I couldn't do it anymore and burst out laughing. Klausy blinked in surprise and frowned, confused. That made me laugh harder.

"I got you!" I giggled, poking his face. "I got you! You should've seen your face!"  

"I'll get you back for that." Klausy started to smile, pleased that my anger was just a joke. 

"If I may cut in?" A voice asked politely. We turned and saw Mr. Elijah standing outside the living room. I didn't notice him walk in the front door. How long was he standing there for? He's wearing a suit just like the Mr. Elijah I met does. He sure does wear a lot of suits. Does he go to a lot of parties? Or weddings?

"Sure." I agree easily. Klausy sits me on his hip and I wrap my legs around his middle. I put one arm around his neck and the other I hold out for Mr. Elijah to shake. "I'm Melissa Flora Wattcan."

"Hello, Melissa." He greeted after he blurred over to us. It made me jump a little. He grabbed my hand and shook it gently. "I am pleased that you are so at ease here. I hope my siblings have been hospitable."

"I don't know what hospitable means."

"My apologies. Have they been nice to you? Welcoming?"

Hospitable means nice? Why would you need such a long word for nice?

"Mostly." Klausy responded. "Except for Erik, he was mean. I don't like him."

Mr. Kael snorted at Klausy's words. I saw him and Mr. Kol give Mr. Erik mocking looks. Virgil found it funny too and smirked.

"Don't give me that look, little brother. I apologized." Mr. Erik said when Mr. Elijah looked back at him disapprovingly. 

"I warned him against frightening them off." Mr. Kael spoke up. He gave me a friendly smile that I returned. "You both are very important to us. You don't have to worry about anything while you are here."  

"Indeed." Mr. Elijah agreed, his eyes went to Klausy. It was hard to know what he was thinking. His face was very smooth and closed off. "Niklaus is it? Pleasure to meet you." 

"You too." Klausy's bubble gum pink lips curved up. "Will you play with us?"

"Maybe." He replied kindly. "I was wondering if I could ask a few questions."

"We have already been asked a lot of questions." Klausy sighed in annoyance. "What else do you people want to know?"


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure what language The Originals spoke when they were human so the BOLD represents whatever language that might have been. 
> 
> It might've been Old Norse, but seeing as Esther and Mikael left for the new world sometime while she was pregnant with Elijah, or soon after he was born, it might not have been. They might have adapted to the language of the land. Esther could communicate with Klaus' biological father after all, and the show never said the neighboring village came from the Scandinavian region.

_Flashback_

Twenty-seven winters old Erik Mikaelson carefully got out of the bed, which was nothing more than a mattress made out of hay on the floor with blankets sewn by his wife, Melisent. He made sure not to wake his sleeping wife with his movements. They have been married for five winters, Erik built the house they now lived in with the help of his younger brother Elijah and best mate Andreas.

He got dressed in a woolen tunic, trousers held up by a belt, leather boots, and a thick cloak. After attaching his sword to his belt, Erik made his way outside.

A harsh winter wind made his dark eyes sting and long light hair whip madly around his face. Usually, the shaggy locks were braided and he regretted his decision not to do so before leaving. Erik wandered aimlessly in the night, thoughts drifting this way and that as he tried not to think about what was truly bothering him.

The sound of rustling made him pause and his hand automatically flew to the hilt of his sword. There is no telling what creature could be in these woods at night.

Erik quickly made his way to where the sound was coming from. He spun around a tree, but when he saw what his sword was pointed at he lowered it immediately. 13 winters old Niklaus Mikaelson looked at his eldest brother startled. He had a tight grip on his own sword but didn't have time to raise it in defense.

" **Niklaus, why are you not in bed? The woods are a dangerous place to be alone so late at night."** Erik scolded. He has always been protective of his siblings, especially so with Niklaus. Mikael was harsh to all his children but for some reason he was crueler to Niklaus than the others. 

" **Why are** _ **you**_ **not in bed?"** The boy retorted. Niklaus' dark blonde hair fell to his shoulders in waves that were almost curls. His expression was equal parts determined and nervous. He didn't want his brother to force him home before he could do what he came out here to do.

The frown on Erik's face deepened at the reply. _So many things could happen to a child alone in the woods at night_ , he thought to himself, _and I'll be damned if I let my little brother go and get himself killed_.

Erik's voice came out stern when he spoke next, "Niklaus."  

Niklaus sighed and shifted his weight from foot to foot.  **"Egil and Cadoc took Virgil's**   **toy from him and I am going to get it. They said to meet by the waterfall tonight before sunrise. If I win against Egil, they will give it back**."

The elder brother knew exactly what toy the other was referring to. Elijah, who was 5 winters older than Nik, carved a small 3-inch sword for the little Mikaelson when he was born. Virgil was rarely seen without it.

When Erik opened his mouth to reply, Niklaus cut in hurriedly with a stubborn tilt of his jaw. " **I am doing it Erik and you cannot stop me. I can win, I know I can. What kind of low life steals a toy from a babe? It was Virgil's favorite too. He was devastated."**

After this winter, Virgil would officially have lived through three and he is the youngest of the six Mikaelson brothers. There would soon be seven though, because their mother Esther was swollen greatly with child. If it's a boy it will be called Henrik and a girl will be called Raelyn. Any day now the babe should be born.

Erik personally believes it will be a boy. Their mother has never had a girl and he didn't see why this baby would be any different.

" **I am not going to try and stop you."** Erik said to Niklaus' disbelief.  **"I am going to help and we can show them what happens when someone messes with a Mikaelson brother."**

" **They said I had to come alone or it would be called off."**

Erik snorted at that, it was cute Nik thought he was going to let him go off and fight Egil on his own. Egil and Cadoc are probably planning to pull one over on Niklaus. If they are, the two are going to be in for a huge surprise. Erik was going to hide, giving the illusion that Niklaus came alone. Then, the second his younger brother needed help, Erik wasn't going to hesitate.

Together they would get Virgil's toy back.  

The waterfall comprises of one big waterfall flowing down a cliff side with a few smaller ones at the bottom. It was a beautiful view. Not far from there is the entrance to the caves that the villagers hide in during the full moons.

_Flashback Ended_

Erik Mikaelson POV:

I watched Elijah distract the fake Niklaus and his little pet. I'm not sure who found out about my late brother, or how, but I do know I'm going to put an end to this game. My siblings and I do not have a shortage of enemies and one of them is obviously trying something here.

What are they trying to accomplish though? Is this man with Niklaus' face supposed to learn our secrets and relay them back to whoever sent him? Or is he here to distract us so we'd be more venerable to an attack? I'm going to torture whoever found out about Niklaus and decided to use him against us. There will be no mercy.

I glanced at Kol. When his brown eyes met my own, I read the look in them, one that told me we have what we need and it was time to get started. In a blink, Kol and I vanished from the parlor. I went to the kitchen and started pouring a blood bag into a glass cup. Kol went to retrieve the special herbs he stole from a witch a century or so ago. We're running low and only use them when absolutely necessary, everyone agreed this situation sufficed.

This particular herb was very rare and was successfully charmed to loosen tongues.

Earlier on the front porch, the twins tried to subtly compel our two guests but to their utter shock they were unable to. Seeing as neither one of them smelt the slightest bit of vervain, it was puzzling that the compulsion had no effect. Luckily for us, neither one of them seemed to realize what the twins were doing. The imposter seems to be a bit of a flight risk and we are not letting them leave until we find out what exactly is going on.

I personally thought the twins were laying their sugar sweet act on too thick, but it seemed to be doing its job. The "guests" were lulled into a false sense of security, charmed by their facade. Well, the imposter only seemed to be charmed by Kol, and recently Elijah, but that is fine. He's still here and it's time we stopped playing hotel and got answers. The first of which will be, who is he? Who is sent him? Why is he here? What are they looking for? They aren't being very subtle about rummaging through our belongings. What is he a hybrid of?

We have all been very careful about what we say in the house with the imposters' keen supernatural ear around. We did not want them to think we were suspicious of their intentions in any way. I wasn't pleased that the twins and Virgil had their squabble in kitchen. While they might not have been saying anything about our current plan against our two  _guests,_ they were still giving too much away about other matters.  

"Is ole sister dearest still ignoring your calls?" Kol mocked when he appeared in the kitchen. "Someone has been very naughty indeed, haven't they? Half a year later and she's still freezing you out."

"I've had about enough out of you." I retorted curtly. 

My wife, Melisent, has indeed been ignoring me ever since our little spat 6 and a half months ago. My siblings, excluding Elijah, have been having a grand time taunting me about it. No amount of explaining my side and apologizing has done any good. This is important however, and so I have left her many voicemails trying to stress the importance of her return. I didn't want to say anything else over the phone but she needs to know about the fake Niklaus.

The only person we haven't tried to contact was our father. We were about as close to him as Earth was to Pluto. If I never see him again it would be too soon. Vampire life made him even more stern and harsh toward us than when we were human. It was overbearing, truly.

All of us have our own moniker, so to speak. The siblings and I are grouped together as "The Originals." Melisent is known as "The Original Wife." What is ridiculous, is that other vampires rarely seem to remember who exactly she is married to, especially the younger ones. Most of them seem to believe it is either Kol or Elijah. How ludicrous, no? Such ignorance. 

Our father, Mikael, is known as "The Hunter." While it was not very creative, it _was_ accurate. He taught himself how to survive off of vampire blood alone and hunts down those he feels are unworthy of being immortal and destroys them. He's even more feared and well known than we are. Which is quite the accomplishment, I can assure you. 

' _That's a bit much, don't you think?'_  Kol mouthed to me, eyeing the herbs. Usually, we put a pinch or two but I put in five just to be sure his tongue would be extra loose.  _'There is only so much left.'_

A gave him a look that told him how little I appreciated his whining. This is a declaration of war and he's worried about how much of the herbs are left? Honestly, I love Kol but sometimes I could really throttle him.

' _You do realize how difficult that was to come by, do you not?'_ Kol continued as I mixed them in.  _'Two pinches would have sufficed. You did not need to go overboard.'_

' _He is a hybrid of some sort.'_ I mouthed back irate, placing the glass full of blood in the microwave. ' _We don't know what of or what advantages it gives him, besides the ability to resist compulsion and be faster than us. Using this much was absolutely necessary!'_

"Temper, temper." Kol scolded in a mocking tone of voice, amusement shined in his eyes at my annoyance. I wouldn't be surprised if he pretended to sulk about how much I was using for the sole purpose of grating on my nerves. Mischievous little shit.

I simply rolled my eyes at his antics and waited for the blood to be done. I didn't bother listening in to whatever random questions Elijah was spouting to keep them occupied. 

When the ding of the microwave pierced the air sharply, Kol was quick to grab the glass. The imposter wouldn't trust me giving him a glass of blood, but seeing as he took such a shine to Kol for whatever reason, I am sure he wouldn't hesitate to drink it from him. The herbs do not have a taste or smell, another quality that made them so sought after.

I shared a smirk with Kol and we reentered the parlor. I saw no reason why this wouldn't go smoothly.

"Nik!" Kol chirped happily, plastering a beaming smile on his face. The imposter turned away from Elijah and gave Kol a curious and expectant look. "I thought you might be thirsty, so I brought you a little something. Do you like A-negative?"

"I guess so." He replied with a shrug of a shoulder. "I'm not very thirsty though. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Klausy." The child spoke up, light violet eyes admonishing. "You said you wouldn't do that anymore. Remember? If Mr. Kol says to drink, then drink." 

"Thank you, kitten." Kol purred to her. The little girl was surprised at the nickname but gave him a wide toothy grin in response. She was truly an adorable thing with angelic beauty. That wasn't going to fool me, however. I am not sure what part she plays in this, nevertheless I refuse to be manipulated by the imposter and his pet.

We all watched the imposter closely, waiting for him to drink all of it.

"Can I play Doodle Jump on your phone?" The pet asked Kol sweetly.

"Play what?" He asked, tilting his head curiously. I was right there with him, what on earth was she talking about? What is a 'Doodle Jump?'

"You've never heard of it?" She asked this like not knowing was the most ridiculous thing she ever heard, as if everyone knows what the game 'Doodle Jump' is and how it's played on a phone.

"Can't say I have." Kol shrugged.

She went to say something else, but at that moment the imposter finished all the blood, so Kol held a hand up to stop her. I couldn't help but feel triumphant, soon this little game would be over and we'll know everything.


	28. Chapter 28

Erik Mikaelson POV

"Just a few more simple questions and we'll be done." Kol grinned as charmingly as he could muster. The imposters' blue eyes had a dazed look in them that told us the spelled herbs have taken effect.

"I don't want to answer any more questions." He responded, a pout tugged on his pink lips. He was trying to be annoyed but it sounded hollow and fake. The herbs kept him relaxed. "There's already been so many."

"Only a few more questions, right? Only a little bit?" His pet spoke up. Her big eyes looked at Kol pleadingly. "Then we can play?"

"Of course." Kol purred. "We can play any game you like."

"What's your full name?" I cut in, voice flat, as I watched the imposter closely. 

"Niklaus Mikaelson." My jaw locked and my temper simmered in my veins at those words. "That's what I was told anyway."

The five year old shot him a bewildered and disapproving look. She wanted him to stay quiet. Well, she was about to be sorely disappointed. 

"Care to elaborate?" I latched onto his last sentence and I could see I wasn't the only one. All my siblings watched the imposter like a hawk watched its prey.

"I was cursed and my memories were stolen from me. The earliest memory I have is of me running through the forest. I know I just escaped where they had me, but I don't know where that was exactly. I was really scared and I…."

Two tiny hands slapped over his mouth, cutting off the flow of information. He looked at her with a dazed and confused expression. Blue eyes drifted in and out of focus.

"Shhhh." She hissed at him. "What are you doing? We promised."

"What did you promise?" Kael questioned sweetly, his body was stiff. I could tell it took a lot of effort to keep his tone kind and gentle. He was struggling to keep a tight hold on his Mikaelson temper, so was I.

Niklaus and Henrik were sensitive topics for us. We rarely ever mentioned them, it was too painful. Now this wanker has the nerve to come into our lives wearing Niklaus' face? I wish we could rip his head off and be done with it. 

Ruby ringlets bounced when she shook her head. Melissa pressed her hands as hard as she could when the imposter tried to mumble an answer. I exhaled sharply through my nose in frustration. She is such a little nuisance. It's going to take much longer to get the information we needed with her interfering. What part does she play in this anyway? Do they think because she is a child, that would make us trust her more easily? That having her here would get information out of us faster? I loathed to be manipulated.

I gave Kol a look and he nodded subtly. 

"It's okay, kitten." Kol soothed as he walked over. When he was standing behind her he started running his long fingers through her hair. "You're only trying to keep your promise, hmmm? We understand that."

"You do?" She replied naively, big purple eyes trusting. Her hands started to slowly move away from  _Niklaus'_ lips and back down to her lap.

"Of course I do." The fingers of his left hand continued to play with her ringlets. But the index and middle finger on his right hand pressed firmly on the soft section before her neck muscles connected with her jaw line. Kol continued to babble sweet nonsense while his fingers pressed against her pressure point. After a few minutes, her eyes fluttered shut and she went limp. I gave the slightest nod of approval to my little brother. 

He winked at me from behind the imposter and Melissa in response.

"Lissa?" The imposter blinked a few times. He tried to fight the fog that was smothering his thoughts as he reached hand over and shook her gently.

"Oh dear." Kael tutted. Kol fought a smirk and looked at his twin, chocolate eyes were aglow with mischief. "I'll put her bed, shall I? Poor thing must have been exhausted."

Before  _Niklaus_ could disagree, Kael scooped her 3 and a half foot tall body into his arms and was gone in a blink.

"What promise was she referring too?" Elijah asked, bringing the conversation back to the point.

The man in question brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them loosely. Kol sat next to him on the couch and threw an arm around his shoulders casually. I knew he chose that position because he could easily snap his neck if need be and the imposter wouldn't be able to move away fast enough. I appreciated it even though I didn't think it would be necessary.

Adding the extra amount was a wonderful idea, his body was relaxed and his expression told me his thoughts were completely muddled. Of course the effects only last so long, we needed to get a move on.

"A promise we made to my brother. He came to us in a dream last night. We're supposed to be extra careful and cautious of who we trust. He said we both needed to come back safe and sound. He wouldn't like that I'm telling all of you this."

"Come back to where exactly?" Virgil spoke up for the first time during this conversation. His young face was expressionless.

Kael appeared and sat on the arm of the couch, he put his bare feet in Kol's lap. Kol reached down and broke one of his toes. A loud snap was heard when Kael stomped on his thigh in retaliation.

"Our home universe."

The twins stopped their antics instantly.

"Elaborate." I demanded sharply when he fell silent. Our home universe? What an absurd response.

"I found a secret room at the house I was staying in with my brother and Lissa. I woke her up late at night and showed it to her. While we were exploring it, we found this odd looking crystal that had golden spikes tangled around it. When I picked it up nothing happened, but when I handed it to Melissa it started to glow so bright it hurt. I clung to her and we passed out. It brought us here." The imposter answered in a rush of words. "To an alternant universe. We were really scared and cried a little. I really want to go home. I miss my brother even though he can be mean sometimes. I miss both of my brothers actually, but I haven't really known them that long. Well, I don't remember knowing them that long. Only a few days. I haven't met my sister yet. She wasn't there when my other brother found me. He told me about her though." 

His explanation was rather choppy toward the end. His sentences didn't flow together gracefully.

"Give us the names of your siblings." I ordered.

"My brother" this and "my other brother" that. Why wasn't he using names?

"Elijah, Kol, and Rebekah. Those are the ones I know about. I might have more though, I'm not sure. Elijah's my older brother and I am Kol's older brother. Rebekah is the youngest. We were living in a huge house in a place called Mystic Falls. Elijah told me I was the one who designed the house and had it built. He also said that town was where we were turned into vampires. Elijah didn't say why we were turned though, only that Mother did it. He didn't sound like he liked Mother all that much."

"He can't possibly be telling the truth." Virgil's gaze snapped to me. He narrowed his eyes accusingly, as though he thought I didn't use enough of the herbs.

"He said himself his memories were erased. The only reason he knows anything is because it is what he was told. That doesn't necessarily make it true. While he himself cannot lie, he  _can_  be lied to." Elijah commented. The look in his eyes told me that his thoughts were spinning a mile a minute. 

"That might explain why he believes he is truly Niklaus Mikaelson, but that doesn't explain the part where they were thrown into another reality. He wasn't just  _told_  that he is from another universe, he actually  _experienced_ getting sent here." Kael contradicted. "That part at least must be true."

"Or he is immune." Kol denied.

"Look at his face. Does it LOOK like he is immune to you?" His twin hissed back.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted, interrupting all the quarreling. They are wasting time. "We can analyze the information later. For now let us get all we can out of him."

"I don't feel good about this." The man in question muttered. He blinked quickly and tried to fight the effects. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Look what all of your squabbling did." I reprimanded my younger siblings in annoyance. "Tell us  _Niklaus_ , what are you a hybrid of and what have you been trying to find?"

"I am a vampire and a werewolf. None of my siblings are a hybrid like I am though." Despite the fact that he just said he didn't want to do this anymore, he couldn't fight the urge to respond. "Kol wanted us to call what we are looking for the Crystal to make things simpler. I don't know the actual name for it. We have to find it so we can get back home."

Werewolves were extinct, our family made sure of that. Those horrendous things murdered our brothers. We hunted every last one of them down. There hasn't been one spotted in centuries.

"Kol explained how getting home would work, yes? Tell us." My voice was sharp and unfriendly. He couldn't possibly be my little brother from another universe. He had to be a fake, an imposter, someone sent here to be used against us.

Despite the fact that I knew he couldn't lie, I refused to believe what he was saying. I haven't thought of Niklaus in so long. Now this man forced memories of him to the forefront of my brain against my will. Emotion pain was always something that made my temper come unhinged. I was currently fighting the urge to lunge at him, rip his fangs out, and thrust them into his blue eyes.

"We need to find the Crystal in this universe. When we do Melissa has to be holding it _and_ the piece left over from the one that brought us here. Kol warned me to have a good grip on her when that happens. Then we will be sent our home world but we will be in whatever year it is in this world. Which is years too soon. We don't know how long we will be in 2002 before going back to moment we left. Kol also said when we get back it will be like nothing happened. Only Lissa and I will remember. Well, and the people in this universe, and whoever we run into in the wrong time."

He really wasn't very graceful when he explained things.

"He said you both had to come back safe and sound. What would happen if one of you didn't make it back?" Kael inquired. Good question.

"He said Melissa had to be the one holding it for the Crystal to work. If she doesn't make it, he won't be going anywhere." Kol remarked.

"Don't threaten her." The protective anger in  _Niklaus'_  voice was strong, his eyes were slowly losing their dazed look. It meant we only had a small amount of time left. The herbs were wearing off. Not sure if that was a good thing or not. They made everything make less sense than before, which was the opposite of what was supposed to happen.

Kol smirked at him and tightened his grip around the imposters' neck. "I wasn't, I was stating a fact."

"What happens if only Melissa goes back?" Kael insisted, wanting an answer. "Surely it can't be like nothing ever happened if you don't return as well. What would the consequences be if only one of you returned? Would it even be possible for only one to return if two were brought here?"

"I don't know, Kol didn't say."

"You're not here to plot against us? You weren't sent by an enemy of ours?" I questioned, not able to help the denial and slight paranoia that flooded my veins. I clung the fact that this had to be a ruse of some sort.

Can he lie even if the herbs were clouding his thoughts and loosening his tongue? Nobody has ever been able to before but is that another advantage that he has? Like how he is faster than we are, has two sets of fangs, and is unable to be compelled.

_An Original is naturally immune to compulsion_ , my thoughts whispered, _perhaps even an Original from another reality._  I smothered the voice. That did not explain how Melissa was. This is not Niklaus, it can't be. My brother is dead. He is dead here and any other damn universe. I don't care how unreasonable I seem. I know I have to be right. I missed my Niklaus so much, even after all these years. That's the reason I haven't let myself think about him and Henrik. Poor baby Henrik, he was only eleven winters when those beasts killed him. I flinched internally at memories that attacked my brain, memories I tried so hard to bury.

My heart can't take it if what he is saying is true. My hands curled into claws and I resisted the urge to rip out the fake Niklaus' blue eyes. I could see I wasn't the only one having this sort of reaction. My siblings didn't like way this conversation has turned. This bastard plucked a serious nerve. I felt a growl build up in my throat. I wanted to kill something. I  _needed_  to kill something.

"No, I just want to go home. We were hoping that the Kol here would help us. We were going to try and get him alone and ask him. He was the only one we wanted to know the truth. We were certain he'd help us."

Perhaps we should stake him and see if he comes back. Test and see if he really is an Original.


	29. Chapter 29

Melissa Wattcan POV:

I woke up with a start and looked around. The light was on in here. I was in the room Klausy and I were assigned to sleep in. I remember falling asleep talking to Mr. Kol. It happened not long after he said he understood I was trying to keep my secret. Klausy was telling them things he shouldn't! All about him being cursed and his real name last name and everything! What was he _thinking_?! Hopefully he didn't say anything else.

If he didn't then maybe we can get Mr. Kol alone somehow and tell him about the Crystal. He'll help us and we can get home.

"I need to find Klausy." I whispered to myself, throwing the blankets off. Just when I was about to hop down, the door was ripped to shreds. Something was coming through it! I screamed at the loud noise and pressed myself against the headboard. It was a wolf that burst into the room, seeing that caused my fear to go away. No animal would ever hurt me.

His long bushy tail was in-between his legs and his ears were pressed flat against his head. The back of him and the upper half of his face was dark grey. His sides and legs are a lighter grey mixed with white. His snout and stomach was white, so was his neck and mouth but that was stained red.

I didn't know what color his paws were because they were dirty and the same dark red that was on his mouth. Gold eyes stared at me for a couple seconds before he collapsed. The wolf arched his spine and twisted around on the floor in what looked like pain. His whole body started to change and I watched wide eyed.

"You're naked." That's the only thing I could say when the twisting and changing stopped. Klausy knelt on the floor with red smeared on his lips, chin, and caked under his nails.

"We're leaving." He replied. "I'm going to steal an outfit, be right back."

Before I could ask what happened to HIS outfit, Klausy was gone.

Leaving?! Why? What about Mr. Kol? We need to find the Crystal and get home. What happened after I fell asleep? It looks like Klausy got into a fight. Why did he do that? Where are the siblings? Why is Klausy upset? Where are we going? I sat there fidgeting on the bed waiting for him to come back. It felt like he was gone forever. 

Klausy returned in a top too big and pants too long. The shoes looked like they fit though, are they the same ones as before or different? I couldn't tell. He had a big book bag in his right hand. He put our pajamas in it and the golden piece. "Come on. I got some blood and food. We have to hurry before they wake up."

"Where did you find that bag? Why are we leaving?" I asked.

He put the bag on his back after he took a jacket out. Klausy wrapped me in it and slipped his arms underneath me, cradling me against his chest.

"They can't be trusted." He said sternly. The wind pinned me to him when he started to run. I couldn't move a single muscle, not even my head. My eyes were open and I was snuggled in the jacket like a burrito. It was night outside, but that was all I could see. He was moving too fast and everything else was a dark blur.

We got to the huge house yesterday and didn't even know to look for the Crystal! So we didn't. Today we tried looking but we only had time to check the first floor. If I knew we'd only have today to search, I would've told Klausy to use his super speed! We could've gotten a lot more done then! Where will we look now?

"I want Mommy." I whispered, closing my eyes. "And my Nana. I want to be at my house. This morning, Mommy would've made me breakfast and brushed my hair. She does that every morning. Nana has a pool, you know, so we would go swimming. Even though she's on vacation right now she wouldn't mind us using it. Mommy would put sunscreen on me first and say wait for it to dry. I love to swim, I'm good at it too. I don't even need those arm floaties anymore." 

Klausy grip tightened a little but I ignored it and kept rambling. "I've been practicing roller skates, I'd do that after swimming. Then for a late lunch we'd have sandwiches cut into stars and Doritos. I'd ask to swim but Mommy would say no; that she's already dried off. She doesn't want to get wet again. I tell her I can get in the water by myself but she says no. When we get home Mommy and I would play a board game and watch movies. My bed time is 8 on school nights and 9:30 when it isn't. Sometimes I can talk her into letting me stay up until 10."

My voice got sleepier and my brain fuzzier the more I went on. You'd think after the nap I took I wouldn't be this tired, but seconds after I stopped talking I was out. When I woke up, my stomach was growling. I stretched with a yawn and was confused when I noticed I was in a car. I was in the passenger seat and it was laid back as far as it could go. The first thing I did was sit it up straight.

"I stole it." Klausy said before I even asked. "A guy forgot something inside his house and he left the keys in the car while he went to get it. I watched Elijah drive and figured it couldn't be that hard. I was wrong but I've practiced for a few hours now. I think I am getting very good." 

"I need a booster seat." I replied. Well, when I'm with Uncle Kol I use a booster seat. Mommy still likes me to be in a car seat when I'm with her. Nana does too.

The belt was uncomfortable, so I put it under my arm. That was much better. I looked at the digital clock and it said it was 9:00 in the morning. How was I asleep that long right after a nap?

"We can't get that now. Are you hungry? The bag is under your feet. It has some water in it too."

"What's there to eat?" I asked, looking down and throwing the jacket off. The book bag was even bigger than I remembered. It was the biggest I've ever seen. Wow. What room did he find it in? I guess in the one he stole the clothes from.

"Fruit, crackers, and tiny boxes of cereal."

I had to unbuckle to reach and I slid it close to me with a huff of breath. "It's heavy."

There were a lot of zippers on it, I undid the largest one first. It had clothes on top, our pajamas and another outfit for Klausy. Underneath that I found food and three water bottles. The tiny boxes of cereal were so cute. Fruit Loops is what I wanted and I zipped it back up after putting a water in the cup holder.

It was hard to zip it back up though because it was so full. I stuffed everything as hard as I could.

"Want some?" I asked him while I buckled back up.

"No, I already had a bag of blood."

I opened the itty bitty box. "Will you tell me what happened now?"

"They did something to me." Klausy said, lower lip pulling into a pout. "I didn't want to answer their questions but I didn't have a choice. My body was so heavy and my brain extra fuzzy. I felt all loopy and relaxed. By the time it wore off it was too late."

"What did you tell them?"

"Everything." Klausy shot me a quick ' _sorry'_  glance. "Do you think Kol will be mad if I didn't mean tell?"

"Don't be silly." I snort, of course he wouldn't. Uncle Kol will understand. "Did their eyes look funny?"

"What do you mean?"

"When Uncle Kol and I got to the hotel the lady said there wasn't a room for us. I was standing close enough to see his eyes go funny, then she changed her mind. Maybe that's what they did to you." I explain as I try to open the bag. It was really hard.

Klausy shook his head no. "I don't think that's what they did. It was something different. Kol said,  _or he is immune_. Immune to what? Did they give me something?"

"I don't know." The bag finally ripped open, some of the cereal exploded out. Oops.

"Wait!" He exlaimed. My eyes shot up to his face, startled by the loudness of it. "On the porch! I was playing the handheld game but I looked up when Kael said,  _there's not a town with that name around here._ I thought I saw his pupils flutter. I ignored it because nobody else seemed to notice. I thought I must have imagined it."

"The black dots in your eyes?" I asked. Nana taught me what  _pupils_ were. "Did they go like this?"

I pinched my thumb and pointer finger, then I made the space bigger and smaller.

"Yeah. Is that what he was trying to do? Make me change my mind? Elijah didn't tell me we could do that."

I nodded. "I didn't see them do that on the porch! How did I miss it?"

"I don't know. Anyway, I answered all their questions and they didn't like what I said. They thought I was lying. Erik thinks we were sent here to be used against his family. We are enemies to them. After whatever they did wore off, I got mad and demanded they tell me what it was. Kol was sitting next to me with his arm around my neck. I wasn't expecting him to snap it! It hurt for a second and everything went black. I don't know how long I was out or what they talked about while I was. I do know that when I woke up the wooden leg of a chair was in my heart." Klausy glared with a deep pout.

I could see that they hurt his feeling. It made _my_ heart hurt too.  

"They tried to kill me Melissa!" Klausy burst out angrily, his eyes changed but only for a second. "Kill me! What did I do to them? NOTHING! I took the wood out and I picked one of them randomly to throw it at. It went toward Virgil but he caught it before it hurt him. They tried to talk and calm me down. Saying that it was a test or something. That I didn't understand and they weren't trying to make me mad. I didn't listen to a lot of what they were saying. I didn't want to hear them lie and try to backtrack. I was so very mad Lissa, everything went red and the weirdest feeling came over me. I couldn't control it. My bones started rearranging themselves, my clothes ripped, and I grew fur everywhere. I know I'm half-werewolf but I didn't know that meant I could turn into an  _actual wolf_! Elijah didn't tell me that!" 

"You're a pretty wolf." My voice was weak and my heart felt like someone was squeezing it and shoving it down into my belly.

_How could they do that?_ I blinked back tears. I really want to go home. I rubbed my eyes and ate more cereal. They tried to KILL Klausy? To make him go away and live in the clouds forever? If Klausy hadn't taken me away, would they have done that to me too? My feeling were very hurt. I thought we were safe. I thought they wanted help and were our friends.

Klausy was on a roll and continued his rant without thanking me. "They kept talking even after the fight broke out. I still ignored them. I was lucky one of them didn't manage to snap my neck again. I might be stronger and faster but that doesn't mean they are slow and weak. They were very good and it was five against one, hardly fair. I did good though! I bit all of them and snapped all their necks. Of course, it was a struggle and it took time. They got good swipes and threw me in all directions. My bones weren't the only thing they broke during our fight. It was a chaotic mess. I don't know how I managed to take all of them at the same time and win. It hurt and it wasn't easy breezy. Snapping their necks would have been easier with hands I think, but I felt even stronger as an actual wolf."

The more he rambled, the more my heart hurt. I didn't like the picture he was painting. It was a scary one. My head was lowered and my messy curls fell in front of my face. I rubbed my teary eyes and sniffled. I know we were never planning on telling all of them the truth, but I really thought they liked us and wanted to help. Mr. Kael and Mr. Kol most of all. Sure, Mr. Erik was mean at first but he did apologize. Virgil was nice to us even if he did fight with Mr. Kol. Mr. Elijah seemed super nice too.

I can't believe they lied and turned out to be so awful.

"Lissa?" Klausy asked softly. He reached over to touch me. "Are you crying? Please don't. I'm sorry. I said too much, huh? I shouldn't have told you so many details."

"It's okay." I whimpered. He rubbed my shoulder and the car swerved sharply.

"Dang it." He hissed and put the hand back on the wheel.

"I'm a big girl." I said weakly. "Big and strong. I am going to be six soon. I'm not a baby anymore. I don't wanna cry and be whinny."

"I don't think you're a whinny baby." Klausy reassured and then his tone sharpened angrily. "They hurt you and made you cry! I won't let them do it again, best friend. I promise."

I didn't reply. I put my head on the door and pulled my legs up. The cereal box was empty and laying on the floorboard. It was quiet for a long time. Sometimes, Klausy would jerk the car too sharply and press the brakes too hard. Other than that it wasn't so bad. I really do need a booster seat or something though. Mommy would be mad seeing me without one. 

"Can you turn on some music?" I asked after a while.

"Sure!" Klausy agreed eagerly. Country music filled the car when the radio was cut on. "Are you feeling better?"

"Music will make me feel better." I said. A hug would too but he was driving, so I didn't say that. I straightened up and brushed my wild ruby hair out of my face. _I needed a brush._ The clock said it was 11:30 now. "I have to use the potty. Where are we?"

"I don't know exactly." He replied. "I've been going in random directions for hours."

"Not in the woods!" I shout, shaking my head when I saw him start to pull over. "I hate going in the woods."

"You did it the other day."

"'Cause I had to! I don't have to now, we can find a store."

"Fine. Fine." Klausy drove around super-fast for a few more minutes before we came across a gas station.

"You didn't park in the lines." I pointed to the wheels when we got out. Klausy was so silly, he was parked in two spots! He did it a little diagonally.

He looked down. "Does it matter?"

"Look at the other cars." I said in a 'duh' tone of voice.

Klausy squinted his blue eyes at me, irrritated. "I see the other cars. I mean is it important? Will I get into trouble?"

"I don't know." I lifted my hands and it made my arms a 'W' when I shrugged.

"Then it doesn't matter. Come on." The last two words came out a yawn.

"You're sleepy?" I asked, slipping my small hand into his big one. "Wanna take a nap?"

"I did nap. I slept for an hour." He told me as we walked across the parking lot.

"When?" I crinkled my nose. "Is that all you slept  _all night long_?"

"Maybe. So what? We have to keep going. What if they catch up to us?"

"We don't even know if they're chasing."

"Even if they're not right now, they will." He seemed very sure of that. It made my belly squirm. I didn't want those mean liars chasing us. Nope. Nope.

I let go of his hand and bounced ahead a few steps so I could hold the door open. "You need to sleep."

"Later."

I rolled my eyes and huffed before pulling him to the bathroom. I ordered him to wait outside the door before hurrying inside. When I got done and I didn't see him waiting outside for me, my heart flip flopped nervously.

"Klausy?" I whispered, glancing around.

"I had to go too." I heard his voice reply to my left. He was walking out of the men's bathroom. I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around his leg.

"I told you to wait for me outside the door." I scold against his side. I was so relieved and it made my whole body relax. "Whose clothes are these?"

He bends down and picks me up. "The shirt is Elijah's and the pants are Kael's."

"Can I have a chocolate milk?"

"I didn't think to steal money from them." Blue eyes glance over to the drinks. "I did see a little bit in the guy's car though. Maybe there's enough?"

"Let's go see." I ordered, bouncing a little on his hip. He carried me to the car and put me on my feet. Then he sat in the driver's side and opened up the armrest in between the front seats. I stood as close to him as I could. I saw his arm moving around and heard jingling and rustling.

What's all in there?

"How much is the milk?" Klausy asked, pulling out some silver change. Yay! He found the money!

"Chocolate milk." I correct. I didn't want regular milk.

"Do you think $1.75 would be enough?"

I shrugged. "I guess so. Is that all you have?"

Klausy nodded and yawned again.

"Then it's enough." I tugged on his shirt. "Come on."

I loud roaring noise caused us to turn around when we were almost to the door. A really fancy car just pulled into this  _really not_  fancy gas station. The man that stepped out was dressed in all black, even his hair was black! He was too far away for me to know what color his eyes were but I knew they were light. The man looked at us for a second. Then he tipped an invisible hat with a wide smirk before turning to fill up his car.

"Will that be all for you sir?" The man behind the counter questioned when we got my drink.

I glanced behind us and the woman waiting had skin same color as my chocolate milk. I smiled and waved. She waved back. She was pretty. 

"Yes." Klausy said impatiently.

"Here's your change." The guy behind the counter replied. I looked forward again at his voice. I saw him give Klausy some pennies. "Would you like a receipt?"

"Nope."

"You talk funny." I said honestly, swinging my feet and tugging at Klausy's ear. Not pretty funny either, like Klausy and Uncle Kol. The way he talked was ugly. His voice cracked when he spoke and his tone went up and down like a roller-coaster. It was weird. "Why do you talk like that?"

The man with the ugly voice didn't answer, just frowned at me. I heard the woman behind us let out a snort of laughter. I honestly wanted to know but was glad he didn't say anything. I didn't want to hear him talk again. Yuck.

"Ouch." Klausy protested on our way back to the car, my chocolate milk in his right hand. I just bit his ear. "What was that for?"

I giggled and bit his ear again. "I wanted to."

"Well, stop it."

"Sorry to bother you." A voice cut in and we paused. Looking over, we saw the man in all black coming toward us. "My phone died. Would you mind if I borrowed yours? It'll only be a second."

Klausy eyed him with distrust. "I don't have a phone."

The man was close enough that I could see his eye color. It was a light blue, the shade of it was very different than Klausy's but still pretty. "That's too bad. I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore."

"Hugo Anthony." Klausy lied. He learned his lesson about giving his real name.

"I'm Cinderella Ariel." I chirped with a smile, picking two princesses at random.

"Anthony." My best friend added. "She's my sister."

Mr. Damon quirked a black eyebrow. "Cinderella Ariel Anthony? Sorry to hear that."

I crinkled my nose. "Why?"

"That's worse than being named Sunshine Strawberry Anthony. I'd rather have hippies for parents than Disney fanatics. That  _is_ where they got the names I'm assuming, not from the Grimm Fairytales." He shrugged a shoulder. "Either way I'm sorry you're stuck with it."

"Hey!" I glared at him. "Cinderella Ariel is a beautiful name!"

"Sure it is." A smirk spread across his face again.

"It is!" I said back strongly.

Mr. Damon went to pat me on the head but Klausy growled. He lowered his hand before it could reach me. "Protective, are we?"

"She's my sister."

"Is that what you compelled her to think?" He asked boldly, light eyes amused. "Not that I'm judging."

"I didn't do anything to her." Klausy went tense all over. Compelled? What does that word mean? Did Klausy know? "I know you're a vampire. You know I am one too, which is why you came over here isn't it? Not to use my phone."

"Guilty." Mr. Damon grinned. "I can't tell your exact age, but I  _do_ know you're way too old to have a three year old human for a sister."

"I'm five." I snapped, offended. _Almost 6._ I'm NOT 3! How rude. 

He waved a hand. "Tomato, Tomahto."


	30. Chapter 30

_Flashback_

Year: 1864

Damon Salvatore did not wait for the carriage door to be opened for him. As soon as it came to a stop, he practically flew out and ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the front door of the Salvatore Estate. Then he paused, caught his breath, righted his rumpled appearance, and walked in with his head held high.  

"Where is my brother?" He asked the first servant he saw, who looked at him thunderstruck.

"M-Mister Damon." She stuttered out in her surprise. Damon saw the butler nod at him before leaving the room in his peripheral vision. "Your arrival is most unexpected. Why are you…?"

"Where is my brother?" He repeated with forced patience, anxious to be reunited with the teenager after months of not seeing him. The letters they exchanged was the only contact they had, but young Stefan Salvatore stop replying a month ago. Even though Damon tried not to worry, he couldn't help himself. 

Evetta's light chocolate fingers fidget with her dress. She couldn't bring herself to answer. The pity that burned bright in her dark eyes made Damon uneasy and his jaw lock. He did not lash out at the woman though. The Salvatore brothers always made a point to be kind to all the servants, to make up for their father's cruelty. Cruelty that they did nothing to deserve.

"What are you doing here?" A deep voice asked with barely restrained anger. 

"I earned a short visit home, Father." Damon lied smoothly, turning to face him. 

Giuseppe narrowed his light blue eyes. "You should have stayed with your men and fought, instead of running home like a coward."

"Where is Stefan?" Damon ignored him and repeated the question he just asked Evetta twice. His eyes, the only thing he physically got from his father, resisted the urge to roll up toward the ceiling.

He does not care for the confederacy or what they stand for. The only reason he joined the army was for the man in front of him. Damon stayed until he couldn't take it anymore. He hates fighting for a cause he does not believe in. Hates being away from Stefan for so long.

"Come to my office." His father ordered curtly. As soon as he went to lead the way Damon spoke up again.

"Could you just tell me where my brother is and scold me later?" 

"Dead." The older man turned back slowly. "The demon's infesting this town got him. Now they will get you as well for your cowardice."

Damon felt like the ground was ripped out from under his feet. "You're lying."

"What did you say?" The disrespect his son was showing during the conversation made him very tense. Giuseppe thought Damon was lucky he hasn't gotten back handed to the floor yet. "I would choose your next words very carefully."

"I did not stutter. I know you're lying. Where is he? TELL ME NOW!" He usually didn't dare raise his voice to his Father, even when he works the nerve up to sass him, but the shock and grief made him bold. Damon didn't wait for a reply before running to his brother's room. He went up two flights of stairs, wove in and out of hallways, before flinging the teenagers' door wide open. What he saw made him nauseous. The room was completely bare, as if it was a guest room. "No…. No. It's not true."

Maybe he felt the desire to change rooms? That thought in mind he went to the only other bedroom on that floor that wasn't his own. Nothing. Growing more desperate he made his way back down a floor and opened the every guest bedroom door with such force the bang echoed down the hallway. Anyone moving down the halls quickly got out of the man's way. Where are you Stefan? Damon thought angrily. This is not funny. Come out from wherever you're hiding.

Damon almost wanted to go up the highest floor and check their father's room. It was the only bedroom besides the servant quarters that has been unchecked. Perhaps Stefan married someone Father disapproved of and moved away? Just because he did not mention such a woman in his letters meant nothing. He could have been embarrassed or maybe the woman wanted it to be a secret. Right? That idea and many others flooded his brain as Damon collapsed against the nearest wall, uniform covered chest moving raggedly with every deep breath he took.

_Why did you stop replying to my letters?_  Damon thought in panic. _Where are you Stefan?_

_Flashback Ended_

Mr. Damon clapped my best friend on the shoulder after a few minutes of trying to get answers. "I know a lost cause when I see one."

"Ouch." Klausy complained, touching the back of his head with the hand my chocolate milk was in.

"Accident, sorry about that." Mr. Damon grinned, pulling his hand back and putting it in his pocket. I looked between them, not knowing what happened. I didn't see Mr. Damon touch the back of Klausy's head. He took a few steps back and twirled around so he was facing his car. As he walked away, he spoke to us over his shoulder. "If I were you, I'd either start compelling people or get rid of that car. It's all over the radio and the soon it'll be on the news. Not very inconspicuous of you."

"What does not incospiclous mean?"

"Inconspicuous." Klausy corrected, putting me on my feet. "He meant driving the car will draw attention."

"Oh."

"Get in. We're leaving."

"Where to?" I ask, walking around to the other side of the car. "Where are we gonna look now?"

"I don't know."

We got in and Klausy started the car. Then I got him to open my chocolate milk for me. By the time he pulled out of the gas station, Mr. Damon's fancy car was already gone.

"What does compelled mean?" 

"It means you feel forced or pressured into doing something." Klausy answered while he turned left at a stop sign. 

"Mr. Damon thought you made me feel forced to be your sister?" I take a sip of my drink after asking.

That's confusing.

"He thought I made you think you were, when you really aren't. He thought I kidnapped you. I guess that weird eye thing does more than changing a yes to a no. Maybe you can make people think anything you want."

"Why didn't you ask Mr. Damon? He could've told you all about it and taught you how to use it."

"Because it's obviously something I'm already supposed to know. It would have looked weird."

"It would've been not incospiclous." I say with a nod. Klausy snorted and I frowned. "What? That was right, right?"

"No, it was phrased weird. You also say the word itself wrong, like you do alternate universe."

"I don't say it wrong." I protest. "I say it just like you did!"

"No you don't."

"Yes I do, Klausy!"

Klausy huffed. "Whatever."

What he is talking about? I say aldernant uniherse and incospiclous perfectly! I say it just like he did. Maybe HE is saying it wrong.

I squint my purple eyes at him and told him so. "If I say it wrong it's because you do! I say it like you did."

"Sure."

That wasn't good enough. I wanted him to admit that I say it right. "I do!"

"Whatever, Lissa." He rolled his eyes.

My face grew hot and my eyes burned with tears. I felt a tantrum building in my tummy. The feeling traveled all the way up to my throat and exploded out.

"I SAY IT RIGHT!" I shout and kick my legs. Klausy jerked the car in surprise. "I DO!"

"Hey!" Klausy blurted, giving me a wide eyed look.

"I DO! I DO! I DO! I DO! I DO!"

"What's wrong with you, best friend? You were fine just a second go."

A few tears leaked out. "I SAY IT RIGHT!"

"Okay, you say it right." Klausy agreed quickly. "Shhhh. You say it right. I'm sorry."

"I WANT TO GO HOME! TAKE ME HOME! I WANT MY MOMMY! I WANT MY NANA!"

"I can't. You know that. We have to find the Crys-"

I interrupt him. "NO. I want to go home now! I don't wanna be here anymore! I want Uncle Kol. GIVE ME MY UNCLE KOL."

Nothing Klausy said did any good, no matter how hard he tried. I kicked, punched everything I could reach including him, screamed, cried, and wailed. This tantrum is the first one in a long time. I'm a good girl - really I am - but my heart hurt, I was confused, tired, in a weird place, hungry, frustrated, and really scared. So I pitched a huge fit until I couldn't scream anymore. Until my puffy eyes got too heavy and I fell asleep.

" _Cause she talked about it all the time_  
It was almost a year before she called him up  
Three rings and an answering machine is …"

Click. The country song was gone.

" _All the women,_ _who are independent Throw your hands up at me All the honeys, who making money_.. _."_

Click. So was the pop one.

" _While he was schemeing_  
I was beamin' in the Beamer just beamin'  
Can't believe that I caught my man cheatin'…"

Click. Not sure what that one was, but now it's gone too. Pop? Hip hop? Rap? I wasn't really paying attention.

" _Ooh, I love the way you_  
Love the way you love me  
There's nowhere else I'd rather be  
Ooo, to feel the way I feel with your arms around me…"

Mommy loves that song!

"Stupid radio. I don't want to listen to any of those songs. " Klausy whispered, turning it off. I squeeze my eyes tight and arch my back. Once it cracked I tilted my head from side to side, cracking my neck too. Then I relaxed against the car door until my sleepy head cleared.

"How long have I been asleep?" I yawn.

"Three hours. I pulled over behind an old rundown building and napped for an hour and a half too." Klausy answered a little shyly. "Do you feel better?"

My tummy grumbled loudly and I had a small headache. "A little."

The car was quiet again as I get out a banana and some crackers. I finished my - now warm - chocolate milk while I ate. We were still in the same car, my hybrid buddy didn't listen to Mr. Damon about getting a new one.

"I'm sorry." I say after I eat with a big knot in my throat. I'm looking at my lap and couldn't bring myself to do anything else. "Are you mad at me? I was bad. Am I in trouble?"  

Mommy would send me to time out after a swat or two on my bottom. Nana would make me stand in the quiet corner with my nose in the wall. No desert after dinner either. I'm not allowed to be a bad girl and throw fits. That's a no-no. Mommy and Nana want me to talk about why I am upset without shouting and whining. Without being mean. Hitting a big no-no too.

"No." Klausy said softly. "I forgive you." 

My head shot up, wild ruby curls went flying. I need a brush and detangle spray. "I hit you."

"I know. It's okay."

"A lot."

He shot me a quick look. "It's okay."

"It wasn't nice." I said back. "I'm sorry. Are you mad?"

I punched him and yelled and was really bad. He got mad after a while of being nice to calm me down not working. He started arguing back loudly. Is he mad still? Are his feelings hurt?

"I was." 

My body flinched at the answer, taking it as a yes. "Do you not wanna be my best friend anymore?"

"What?! Of course I do. Forever."

"Forever and ever? You promise?"

"I promise. No matter how mean you are or how upset you get. Not even if you hurt my feelings. Best friends fight, right? I'll forgive you."

"What about when you get your memories and turn into Mr. Niklaus again? You'll be my best friend even then?"

"Even then but you have to forgive me if I get upset and fight too. Swear?" 

"I swear." I hold out my hand to him palm up. Klausy took one of his off the wheel and wrapped it around mine, making it disappear. "Where do you want to look?"

"I can't decide."

Trees were on both sides of the empty road. Klausy and I babbled about anything and everything. We were the only people, until suddenly a car pulled out in front of us out of nowhere a little ways up. Running a stop sign to do it. Klausy hit the brakes and the car flipped in the air. I screamed loudly, the world spun, and hands yanked at me.

"Why did you do that?" Klausy yelled and stomped one foot. Now we're standing on the side of the road, not hurt at all. I was in his arms and the car was upside down. "I know you did something! It shouldn't have flipped like that. Who are you?"

"No vampires are allowed in this part of town." The woman answered a few feet away, standing in front of her yellow car. She glared nastily and Klausy dropped me. My knees gave out and I land on my butt. My best friend was groaning with his head in his hands.

"He's hurting. Please stop!" I pet Klausy's leg to make him feel better. She ignored me and glared even more. Klausy fell to his knees so I get on mine too and pet him down his spine. It'll be okay Klausy. My poor wolfy. It'll be okay. Shhhh. Stop making those noises. I don't like it. 

"You will leave!" The mean lady demanded. "Come here, little girl. He can't hurt you now."

"Please stop!" I beg, scared. No way was I going with her. "Please. He's a nice vampire."

"There is no such thing. Come here. I'll get you home."

Klausy let out a loud roar and lowered his hands. I jerked my own back. His blue eyes turned gold, the white turned black, and black vines slithered around his eyes like snakes. He moved like he was about to bolt at her but before he could someone else got there first. The mean woman in the colorful dress fell down hard. Now she was sleeping on the road.

Mr. Damon stood over her with a smirk on his face. "You're welcome."

"Thank you, Mr. Damon!" I beam. How lucky are we that he was around here to make the scary lady stop attacking? Does he live close?

"Were you following us?" Klausy asked rudely, standing up and taking me with him.

"That's no way to thank your savior." He teased back. "Besides, you're centuries older than me. You would've noticed me following you."

"Klausy," I scold. "Say thank you."

"Thank you." He said through bared teeth, making his face normal again. "But I could have handled her. I was just about to before you interrupted." 

"You're something else aren't you, Mr. Cheerful?" Mr. Damon asked with interest, eyeing Klausy.

"No."

He chuckled and walked closer. "Oh, yes you are and I could use the help of someone with little  _something else_  in them."

"What do you mean?" The hybrid glared. "What do you want?"

"I helped you so it's only fair you help me. Tit for tat."

"I didn't need your help! I was just about to handle it." Klausy protested. "I don't owe you anything."

"I was passing through, a friend of mine lives a couple towns over you see, and you talking with your little shadow caught my attention. Fascinating conversation about a movie I've never heard of. What did you call it? It doesn't matter. Twice in one day we run into each other. I'll never get over how small the world can be."

"Get on with it."

The light eyed vampire obeyed with a serious look on his face now. "You're looking for something or someone, right? You talked about it a little in the parking lot earlier. I can help you if you help me. My friend is a witch that's nifty with a locater spell."

"Your witch can find what I want? How fast?" Klausy tightened his hold on me.

"Depends on if there's any magic shielding it."

"How fast?" He asked again. 

"Do you even know the general vicinity of where it's at?" Mr. Damon replied with his own question. When Klausy remained quiet the left half of Mr. Damon's lips went up. "No? Do you know a witch that would be willing to locate it?" More silence and the crooked grin grew. "No again? So what was your plan? Go in every house and building you come across until you hit the one that has it? You  _are_  looking for an object, right? Not a person?"

"Right." Klausy said through his teeth.

"I think my plan will be more effective than yours, Merry Mcghee. How important is this thing to you? How fast do you want it?"

"Lightning fast." I say, looking at Klausy hopefully. We don't even have to tell him anything at all! Just help him and then we can go home! Wow. Mr. Damon is making this day luckier and luckier.

"Help me and you will get whatever it is lightning fast. Do we have a deal?"

"You didn't even say what you wanted me to do. I'm not agreeing until you tell me."

Mr. Damon took a few steps backwards and held his hands up. "That's fair. Your little  _Ella_ seems hungry. How about dinner on me?"

He called me Ella! Short for Cinderella. Yay! I'm Cinderella Ariel. The prettiest princesses in all the lands. You can eat everything in my castle like in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. There's fun every day and never any fits or crying or scary things. Everyone is nice and funny. They talk like Uncle Kol and his family, except for Mr. Elijah. His voice is normal.

"Okay." I agree before looking into my hybrid's face. "Right? I  _am_  hungry."

Klausy gave me a long look before nodding at Mr. Damon. Who might talk with an ordinary voice, but has really pretty eyes. "Okay, dinner on you."

"If we are going to work together, I'm going to need your real name  _Hugo._ "

"Don't you already know my name?" Klausy looked at him sourly.

Mr. Damon shook his head no with laughing eyes. "What? You think I trailed behind you this whole time? Not hardly. All I know is you want something but don't know where to look. Nothing else. Well I know there is something special about you. That's overwhelmingly obvious."

"Where are we going to eat?" I but in. "And thank you Mr. Damon, sir."

"Anywhere you'd like…." He dragged out the last word a little and gave me a look that said he wanted me to fill in my name. My honest name. And since he was being so great and helpful I told him.

"Melissa Flora Wattcan."

You'd think he won a game from the way he looked at us next. "Where would you like to eat, Little Red? We should get going before Ms. High Horse wakes up from her nap."

I told him anywhere. That I was hungry for anything that was the closest. After getting our stuff from the flipped car Klausy threw it randomly far into the woods. Then we followed Mr. Damon to where his car was, past some trees and on the next road over. I shout  _"Weeeeee"_  all the way there. Vampire speed was so fun.

_Flashback_

Year: 1864 Continued

Damon opened his eyes with a groan before promptly closing them once more. Between the sun's harsh rays, his incredibly dry mouth, and the lack of memory on how he ended up outside, it would  _seem_  like he drank a little too much the night before. Except he knows he spent the last two weeks since returning home stone cold sober. Denial was all he had left, so he spent the time searching all over town and asking anyone and everyone about Stefan. He had to find his brother and couldn't do that intoxicated. Unfortunately everyone says what his father did, Stefan was taken and killed by the demons.

Speaking of his father, he was getting more and more suspicious by the day and wondered when he was going back to the army. Damon was nervous and knew they would send somebody for him soon. He was surprised they haven't already.

"Good you're awake." A very familiar voice said. Damon ignored the pain in his head and shot up. "You're a hard man to find. Who knew you would abandon your troops and let them perish the way you did? By the time I got to where you should have been, I had to turn right back around and come home again. I should have just stayed here and saved myself the hassle."

He had his brother's height, build, brown hair, face, and even voice. Where forest green eyes should have been, they were red and black with bulging slithering veins surrounding them instead. Damon stared at what used to be his brother in horror. 

"The eyes right?" He guessed, looking at his older brother's face. Damon even saw his fangs peek in and out of view when he spoke. "Sorry about that. I would put  _all of this_  away but I can't with you so close. That's why I started the transition without warning you. My control is as shaky as an earthquake. I had to turn you so wouldn't kill you. It helps with the scent."

Damon couldn't believe what he was hearing. These weren't the words of his peacemaking, kind hearted brother. He could barely hurt a bunny let alone kill a man. These were the words of a demon. "Who… Who did this to you?"

"Celeus."

Damon recognized the name. "Lord Antoni."

Stefan's letters overflowed with the name after he arrived. The curiosity the teenager regarded the Greek lord with in his letters quickly became admiration and camaraderie. Stefan was eager to tell his elder brother all about the things they did together, he couldn't wait for Damon to meet him.

Damon would never tell anyone this, but he was insanely jealous of Lord Antoni. He hated how much Stefan adored him and how they did all the things that  _he_  should have been doing with his brother. He was always Stefan's closest friend and Lord Celeus Antoni was stealing him away.

"Everything took a turn for the worst so quickly I didn't know what was happening. One minute he was my friend that nearly everyone adored as soon as they met him. The next he was a demon who was turning me in front of our father to make him suffer." Stefan explained. "He had everyone fooled right up until he ripped the rug out from under us."

"I do not want to be a monster." Surely his brother has to be in there somewhere? Maybe he can reach him. "Do not make me into a demon, little brother. You have a kind heart. Let me go. Show me the mercy that Lord Antoni did not show you."

"I need you Damon." Stefan countered. "I'm losing myself. I cannot control my lust for blood. You are a tether to who I used to be and I don't want to lose that person completely. I can't live an eternity without you."

"Please let me go."

"I already started the transition. If you do not feed you will die."

"Then let me die."

Damon did not want to be a demon in the night, surviving off of the blood of innocent people. Cruelly tormenting them for enjoyment. Playing manipulative games and tearing families apart. All the stories he's ever heard played in his head now. Only this time HE was the demon doing the horrid nightmare worthy terrors. Look what they already did to Stefan in just a short month? He thought worriedly. No. That can't be me. I don't want to lose myself too.

"I cannot." Stefan shook his head with a tortured expression on his demonic face. "Celeus is getting you blood now. He's a monster Damon. The friend I used have in him was never real, only a façade. He treats me like I am his wild little pet. He encourages my lack of control. I refuse to live my eternity with only him. I need you. You'll forgive me one day. I know you will. You have to."

_Flashback Ended_


End file.
